


Chemistry

by sapphicbenoist



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Curse, F/F, Wayhaught - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-10-28 10:20:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 53,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17785571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicbenoist/pseuds/sapphicbenoist
Summary: "Does Wynonna's sister have a name?""Waverly." The shorter woman smiles, extending her hand."Your family have a thing with the letter 'W'?" She jokes, taking the offered hand.Waverly laughs. "Actually, you'd be surprised.""I'm Nicole.""It's nice to meet you, Nicole." She squeezes the hand still in hers.ORthe one where Nicole is a big player but has a soft spot for Waverly. Also maybe Wynonna hates Nicole.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So I made Wynhaught kinda hate each other. I guess you'll find out why in the later chapters. also, Waverly isn't out. Nicole is. This chapter moved kinds fast but the next chapters will be slightly slow burn. Sorrrrry. Let me know what you guys think and if you have any questions. Maybe I'll actually finish this fic.

Nicole takes a deep breath, closing her eyes and enjoying the fall wind blowing around her. She glanced down at her phone, the vibration interrupting her thoughts.

Dolls (2:17pm): Are you on your way yet? Me and Doc are about to order.

She looked at the time, realizing she's almost twenty minutes late to 'lunch' with her friends.

Nicole (2:18pm): yea, im on my way. order me a coffee

Quickly finding her keys, she got in her car and made her way to the small diner that her and her group of friends usually met at. It became a tradition when they started college. At first they were afraid they'd be split up. They each applied at a number of different colleges and it was pure luck that they all ended up choosing the same one to attend. Nicole felt like she hasn't seen her friends in years, with Doc graduating this year he was more focused on classes than anything else; wanting to get the hell off of that damn campus. Nicole's attention was more on Basketball and trying to keep her grades up enough to actually stay in sports. And Dolls...

She rolled her eyes thinking about Dolls' new friend. Someone that didn't particularly like her. Not that she had great feelings towards that someone either. 

"Okay, I'm here, I'm queer and I'm ready for a beer." She quipped.

"Well, I think you might have to go elsewhere for something stronger than your nasty ass black coffee." Dolls handed her a cup with her name written on the side.

She gladly took it, sighing in content when she took a sip. "This'll have to do, I guess." She rolled her eyes playfully.

Soon enough, the group started their witty banter. Something that came naturally to them at this point. They got scolded by one of the waitresses for being too loud at one point, but it didn't stop them from continuing to make jokes about Doc being the grandpa of the group.

"Dude, come on. You're graduating this year. You've got to be at least a little bit excited." Nicole smiled.

"I'm not not excited. I just don't know what I'm doing afterwards. I still haven't figured it out and it feels like I'm kind of running short on time."

"I know five months doesn't seem like a long time but trust me, it is. You'll figure out what you want to do and when you do, we'll throw a party to celebrate."

"You just jump at the chance to throw a party, don't you?" Dolls joked.

Nicole winked, taking another drink of her coffee.

"Speaking of parties..." She started.

"Of course." Doc laughed.

"Did I just hear parties? Count me in."

Nicole looked up in search of the familiar, slightly annoying voice. "Wynonna." She greeted.

"Haught." The brunette matched her same unamused tone. "So, this party." She turned to Dolls.

"Don't look at me, this is all Nicole." Dolls sat back in his chair, crossing his arms and focusing his attention on the red head.

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Right. Some of the girls on the team were talking about a party to start off the season. I offered to throw it, so you're all invited." She made eye contact with everyone except Wynonna.

"All including...?" Wynonna quirked an eyebrow.

"Everyone, Earp. Including you."

"When?" Doc asked.

"This Friday."

"Where?"

"My dads beach house. He never uses it, so I figured now's a good time to put it to use."

She heard Wynonna snort and directed her attention to her.

"What?"

"Nothing." Wynonna smirked. "It's just very stereotypical of you to have a beach house."

For the second time, Nicole rolled her eyes. "Not me, my dad."

"Same thing."

"Right."

Dolls, sensing the tension in the air, cut in. "Can we invite people?"

"Yeah, I don't see why not. The more the merrier, right?"

They talked more and worked out a few details like the time, carpooling and drinks. Nicole and Wynonna going back and forth a few times, causing either Dolls or Doc to cut in and stop it before it went too far. Eventually, they all parted ways. Doc had one last class of the day and Nicole didn't see a reason to stick around when the only person she would really talk to is Dolls and despite not having good feelings towards Wynonna, she didn't want to make her feel left out.

 

\----------

"Hey, babygirl. I got a favor to ask you."

Waverly looks up at her sister from her desk. "You do know how to knock, right? What if I was doing something?" She jokes.

Wynonna rolls her eyes. "With Champ? I'd be disappointed in you. You can do way better than that boy-man."

"Yeah, yeah." Waverly brushes her sisters comment off. Everyone has an opinion about her dating Champ, most of them are the same as Wynonna's. "What's the favor?"

Wynonna grabs a bag of chips out of the cabinet in Waverly's dorm room and plops down on her bed. "Are you saying you'll do it?" She asks through a mouthful of food.

"I'm saying, what is the favor and then I'll decide." She spins her chair to face her sister.

The oldest sighs. "Will you go to a party with me and be my designated driver?" Wynonna spits out.

If Waverly hadn't known her for her entire life, she probably wouldn't have understood the rapid fire words that came from her mouth.

"Nope. No way, I'm not going to another one of your college parties and dealing with your shitfaced friends."

"Pleeeease." Wynonna begs. "You can invite your friends."

"What makes you think my friends would want to go to a party?"

Wynonna snorts. "Oh, please. Chrissy will go to a party anywhere as long as there's hot guys, Jeremy will come just because Robin is going and Robin will come just because Jeremy is going."

Waverly let's out a deep sigh, weighing her options in her head.

"Stop your internal conflict and just say yes." Wynonna interrupts. "Remember, you love me and Gus would hate you forever if you let me die of alcohol poisoning in some rich snobs beach house." She jokes.

"Fine." Waverly caves. "But I'm cutting you off when I feel like you've had too much and you can't say no because I'm your ride back here."

 

\--------

"Are we almost there?" Chrissy asks from the backseat. "It's crowded back here and I can smell all the chemicals Jeremy has on him."

"It's not my fault the stupid experiment exploded!" He fires back.

"Well, it is your fault if you put the wrong liquid with the other liquid." Chrissy glares.

"We're almost there. Now, will you two weirdos stop fighting, please." Wynonna shouts.

"Weirdos that you love." Waverly mumbles under her breath.

"I heard that."

In less than ten minutes they're parking and getting out of the car.

"Remind what this party is for again?"

Wynonna smiles at her sister and replies with "Basketball." before quickening her pace.

Waverly groans and slumps her shoulders. She wasn't a big fan of parties that involved every sports player she knew. Especially considering she spent most of her time around them for cheerleading.

"Oh, come on, Waves. It'll be fun." Chrissy tries.

"Yeah, maybe for you. You're not the one that agreed to drive."

They enter the house and everyone goes their separate ways. Waverly didn't mind, she was okay with being alone for the most part. At least until the party actually turns into a party.

Her eyes dart around the room, making a mental list of who's already here, who's already drinking and then some. It was something she has done since she was in highschool. She had to be aware of her surroundings.

Eventually, she found the kitchen. Rolling her eyes when she realized the only drink was some kind of alcohol.

"You looking for something?"

Waverly jumped at the voice and quickly turned around. Taking in the beauty of the red headed woman standing before her. "Uh- I." She cleared her throat and started over. "Water, maybe? Or something non-alcoholic."

The red head laughed. "Designated driver?"

 

Waverly nodded and watched as she reached into the refrigerator and grabbed a water bottle.

Why didn't I think about looking in the stupid fridge. She chastises herself.

"Yeah, my sister somehow convinced me to drive all the way here just to watch everyone get wasted and then drive her all the way back."

"And your sister is?" She hands Waverly the water bottle.

"Wynonna."

"Ah."

Waverly raises an eyebrow. "Ah? What's 'ah' supposed to mean?"

"Just ah." She smiles. "Does Wynonna's sister have a name?"

"Waverly." The shorter woman smiles, extending her hand.

"Your family have a thing with the letter 'W'?" She jokes, taking the offered hand.

Waverly laughs. "Actually, you'd be surprised."

"I'm Nicole."

"It's nice to meet you, Nicole." She squeezes the hand still in hers.

The red head smiles and Waverly thinks she feels butterflies for a moment.

"Haught."

They're both knocked out of their trance with Dolls' voice.

"Beer pong?" He offers, holding up solo cups.

"There's maybe ten people here and you already wanna play a game?" She jokes.

Waverly takes a step back and leans up against the counter.

"Yes. chop chop, let's go." He motions towards the dining room.

"I'll be there in a minute." She turns back to Waverly. "There's actual food in the refrigerator, along with more water. There's also chips and all those basic party snacks." Gesturing to the counter, she makes her way towards her friend.

Quietly, Waverly gives a small "Thanks."

The party goes on as it usually would. Loud obnoxious guys scream over drinking games, a few of them try to hit on her to no avail. Eventually, the noise becomes too much and she steps outside to get some air. She didn't understand the hype of parties. To some extent, she understood. She can understand the excitement of getting drunk once in a while, but watching Wynonna get shit faced and then have to endure a hangover the next morning makes her glad she wasn't the party type in highschool.

There were a few people on the deck of the beach house. There was a table in the middle that held a game of beer pong. A quieter, calmer game than the one happening inside. She watched as Nicole sunk the small plastic ball into the cup, laughing when Dolls complained about her having the upper hand because she was a basketball player.

"Suck it up and drink, Xavier."

It was hard to not be intrigued by the tall redhead. Of course, Waverly has seen her around. It would be inevitable considering she literally cheers for her team. But it wasn't until tonight that Waverly actually paid attention. She knew the type of person Nicole was. The whole 'rich kid player' persona fit her well.

"Okay, I need a partner. This isn't a fair game." Dolls complained once again.

"Get a partner then, it won't stop you from losing."

Waverly watched as he scanned the area around him, his eyes landing on her.

"Little Earp." He raised his voice. "Come here."

She raised her eyebrows. "Me?"

"Yes, you. Come on."

Glancing at Nicole, she walked to Dolls' side of the table.

"That's unfair, she can't drink." Nicole stated.

"I'll drink for the both of us, then."

Rolling her eyes, Nicole agreed.

"So, Wynonna asked you to be the sober one, huh?" He questions.

"Never fails." She threw the ball and smiled proudly as it landed in the cup.

The game went on, Waverly getting the game down to a tie. Both sides had one cup left.

"For someone who doesn't go to parties, you sure know how to play." Dolls jokes.

"Yeah. Well, when your sister is Wynonna Earp you kinda learn."

The redhead groans. "Who has experience now."

"Don't be a sore loser." Waverly chuckles.

Nicole lines her shot up and hits the last cup. "You said something about losing?"

"We still have one shot."

The taller woman gestures to the cup in front of her. "Go ahead."

Waverly's eyes follow the ball as Dolls throws it and it misses.

"I should've let you thrown it, shouldn't I?"

"Maybe." She whispered.

"Now, back to that losing thing." The redhead smirked. Mainly focusing her attention on Waverly.

"I still say you had the upper hand." Dolls interjected.

"Say that all you want, doesn't dismiss the fact you lost."

Dolls was about to respond when he was interrupted by a guy Waverly recognized from the mens team.

"Nicole, grab your little girlfriend we're doing body shots."

"Oh, I'm not-" Waverly stopped when Nicole grabbed her hand. "I can't drink, remember?"

She followed Nicole through the door, looking at Chrissy for some kind of help.

Chrissy shrugged. "Don't knock it 'til you try it, Waves."

Nicole looked between the two and smirked, leaning back against the island separating the dining room and kitchen. "Yeah, Waves."

"Don't."

Nicole tipped her head toward the table where a guy was currently licking salt off of some girls neck.

"You don't have to drink to be apart of it." She winked, taking a drink from a cup that Waverly definitely doesn't remember her having.

She looked between the redhead and her best friend.

"I'm drunk, don't come to me for decision making." Chrissy slurred.

Waverly sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Fine. It can't hurt."

Nicole smirked.

They waited until the table was clear before Waverly sat on top of it. She scanned the room, quickly looking for her sister. With everything going on she almost forgot she was supposed to be keeping an eye on her.

"Are you okay?"

She turned back to Nicole, suddenly very aware of the hands on her thighs and the body in between them. She smiled slightly and nodded, ignoring her nerves. "Yes."

Nicole looked softly into Waverly's eyes. "If you wanna stop anytime, say so."

Waverly nodded. She focused on her breathing as she laid back on the table, trying to not pay attention to the group of people gathered around them.

Nicole handed her the lime to put in her mouth, taking the salt and putting it on her stomach along with the liquor.

The upperclassmen gave her look asking for consent. Waverly nodded and put the lime in her mouth.

"Oh, this is gonna be good." Chrissy said.

Waverly went to flick her off but froze when she felt Nicole's tongue on her stomach. Her mind instantly going to what that would feel like in other places. Her breathing definitely wasn't even now.

She barely registered Nicole taking the lime from her mouth until her lips were back on hers. The kiss barely lasted five seconds but it still left Waverly breathless.

Soon enough, Nicole was helping Waverly off of the table. She didn't miss the amused look on Chrissy's face.

"Shut up." She murmured.

"I didn't say anything." Her best friend laughed.

"Does anyone happen to know where Wynonna is?"

"Speak of the Devil and she shall appear." Nicole spoke lowly.

Waverly turned around to see her sister coming down the steps, her gaze set on her.

Wynonna walked up to the younger Earp. "Are you ready to go?"

Waverly looked at Nicole and then back to her sister. "Yeah. Let me just find Jeremy and Robin. You okay?"

Wynonna nodded, glancing around the group before her eyes landed on Nicole. Waverly didn't miss the look that crossed her features.


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, I'm making a social media AU to this on twitter if you're into that kinda thing ;) my @ is wlwearp. it's kind of less detailed but it has parts of this fic in it so

**Chapter Two**

 

"I don't understand why we have to have practice at the same time as basketball." Chrissy complained.

 

Waverly has heard this exact line from her friend ever since the season started. She's tried explaining why multiple times but eventually gave up after the fourth time. It was an endless argument, one that she definitely wasn't winning anytime soon.

 

They entered the gym and joined the other girls from their team. Today, just like any other day, her eyes scanned the room in search for one person in particular. Her eyes caught the fiery red hair in between everyone else. Her mind instantly went back to the party. It's been almost a week and it's still a vivid memory in her head.

 

"Waverly... Waves!"

 

She snapped back to reality, shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

 

"What?" She turned towards her best friend.

 

"Are we gonna practice or are you gonna stand there all _Haught_ and bothered the entire time."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes. "I am not-"

 

"You could just, I don't know. Talk to her, maybe?" Chrissy suggests.

 

"I don't need to talk to her."

 

She sets her stuff down on the bleachers by everyone else's.

 

"Right, okay."

 

Sensing the sarcasm in her friends voice she crosses her arms. "Chrissy, I'm serious. There's nothing to say anyway. It was a party, that's kind of what you do at parties."

 

Chrissy smirked. "I think you have some shit you need to figure out, Waves. Then come back to me with that _'_ _I_ _don't_ _need to talk to_ _her'_ line."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes. This was usual behavior coming from her best friend.

 

Practice went by like it normally did. The cheerleaders were always done before the players were, mainly because they started practice a week before basketball season so they could be somewhat ahead.

 

Waverly took a seat on the bleachers. Grabbing her water bottle and chugging half of it. She watched as Nicole dribbled the ball, easily shooting a three pointer. Waverly knew she was good, but it didn't set in until she actually watched. She got caught in a trance watching the redhead move across the court with ease.

 

"You're still here?" Chrissy sat down next to her.

 

"Waiting for Wynonna, yes."

 

Chrissy smiled, clearly amused. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with a certain someone also being here."

 

"Seriously, Chrissy. I'm just waiting for my sister to get done."

 

It's been sort of routine for Wynonna and Waverly to leave practice at the same time. They didn't get to see each other much during the week because of classes and with Waverly being a double major on top of cheer, it was hard to have free time. It was kind of perfect that Wynonna was on the basketball team.

 

"Well, then I'm sure you won't care about the fact that Nicole is walking over here."

 

A confused look flashed across Waverly's face. "What?"

 

Turning her head towards Chrissy's line of vision confirmed what she was saying.

 

"Waverly. Chrissy." Nicole greeted.

 

"I was just leaving, but it was nice seeing you, Nicole." Chrissy laughed at the panicked look on the brunettes face. "I'll see you later, Waves."

 

Waverly watched as the only person who can keep her somewhat calm left the gym.

 

"So, how are you?" Nicole asked, eyeing Waverly.

 

"I'm, uh, I'm good. How're you?"

 

"I'm doing okay."

 

"Great, that's great."

 

Nicole laughed and sat down, occupying the empty spot Chrissy left.

 

"I suppose."

 

Waverly tried her best to avoid eye contact.

 

"So, tell me something." Nicole started.

 

"Hmm?"

 

"Why cheerleading?"

 

"Why basketball?"

 

The redhead smirked. "Touché."

 

"When I was a child I used to dance." Waverly explained. "I figured three majors would be too much, so I do cheerleading for fun since it's sort of like dance. It keeps me grounded, I guess."

 

"You're a double major? Why am I not surprised."

 

Waverly raised an eyebrow in question.

 

Nicole cleared her throat. "When I heard of Wynonna Earp's little sister, I didn't picture you. I mean, I knew you were really smart from the rumors and whatever but-"

 

"You've heard of me?" She asked softly.

 

"I have."

 

Waverly didn't miss the soft smile that Nicole held.

 

"Hey, you ready?"

 

Waverly internally cursed her sister for interrupting. She glanced up to Wynonna before gathering her things.

 

"Yes."

 

"I'm not interrupting something, am I?" Wynonna asked.

 

Nicole smirked. "Nope. Nothing at all. Good game, Earp."

 

Waverly watched as Nicole disappeared through the doors to the locker room.

 

"You're hanging out with Nicole Haught, really?"

 

"Yeah, what's the deal with you two anyway? I know you guys don't get along. But she seems like a good person to me."

 

The two walked towards the exit side by side.

 

Wynonna snorted. "Waverly, she's the biggest player on this whole campus. Are you kidding?"

 

"She's nice to me, Wynonna."

 

"Yeah. Until she gets in your pants." Wynonna mumbled. "Which, I don't have to worry about, right? You're still with Champ?"

 

"I'm not gay, if that's what you're asking." She didn't know why, but she almost felt the need to defend herself. Like she was being judged.

 

"I'm not saying you are and that wouldn't matter to me anyway. _She_ bothers me and what she's doing with _you."_

 

"Just friends." Waverly smiled before climbing into Wynonna's truck.

  
  
  


**\-------**

 

"Babe."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes, reluctantly turning her attention to her boyfriend.

 

"Yes, Champ?"

 

"You've been studying all night. Can't we do something else?" He winked.

 

"No, we can't. I have to pass this stupid test in order to pass this stupid class. I'm sorry."

 

She almost felt bad for lying to him. There wasn't a test and she wasn't actually studying. She's been rereading old material for five hours now in hopes that Champ will get bored and eventually wander off somewhere else.

 

Normally, she could deal with him. But right now she wasn't in the mood to even hold his hand.

 

"Is this about that girl?"

 

Waverly sighed. "What girl?"

 

"You know, that chick that you've been hanging out with."

 

"I haven't been hanging out with anyone."

 

She technically wasn't lying.

 

"I heard she did a body shot off of you at some party. You're not, like, _that_ now are you?"

 

It took almost everything in her not to explode.

 

"No, I'm not _gay,_ Champ. And stop saying it like it's a bad thing. I wish everyone would stop asking that."

 

She turned back to the history book in front of her.

 

"Who else is asking?" He scooted towards the edge of Waverly's bed towards her desk.

 

"Who's talking about that party?"

 

"Half of the people that were there and more. Word travels fast when you hang out with _her._ "

 

"Do you think Wynonna knows?"

 

Waverly wasn't that worried about her sister finding out. Especially considering there's parts of the night that Waverly can't get out of Wynonna. But finding out the one person you hate the most took a body shot off of your little sister at a party probably shouldn't be told to you by someone else.

 

"Why does it matter?"

 

Waverly shook her head. "It doesn't. Don't you have like, something to do? A party or friends to hangout with."

 

"Nope, I'm all yours." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind, kissing her cheek way too many times for Waverly's liking.

 

"Great."

 

\--------

 

"Listen, Waves. I just think you can do better and this boy is cute."

 

Waverly laughed and shook her head. "If he's so cute, why don't you date him?"

 

It's become Chrissy's routine to try to find her best friend a different boyfriend. Waverly has gotten used to it and doesn't really take it to heart. She knows Champ is an asshole and sure, maybe she could do better. But it's easy with Champ. Or, at least as easy as it can be.

 

They arrived at Wynonna's room and said their goodbyes. Waverly knocked before opening the door.

 

"Please tell me you brought alcohol."

 

"Hello to you, too." Waverly smiled. "No alcohol but I'm here and that's practically the next best thing."

 

Wynonna wrapped her arms around her, Waverly returning the sentiment.

 

"You okay?"

 

"They're assigning me a roommate." The older groaned.

 

Waverly pulled back from her sister, looking her in the eyes. "That bad, huh?"

 

"You know I don't do good with human interactions. Especially not sober and not in the mornings."

 

"Maybe she'll be gone by the time you crawl your ass out of bed."

 

"One can only hope." She sighed. "Did you pick a movie?"

 

With both of them being busy a lot of the time, they always tried to schedule something they can do together. Whether it's just hanging out and talking or actually going and doing something. Living together for their entire life and then suddenly separating and rarely seeing each other was an adjustment to say the least.

 

"Sure did."

 

\-----

 

"You're always prying into my love life but when I just ask who you like it's world war III." Waverly said, throwing a piece of candy at her sister.

 

"I don't like anyone."

 

"Right. Your face definitely says otherwise."

 

She watched as her sister pulled the blanket up to her eyes.

 

"Okay. Is it someone I know?"

 

"Maybe."

 

Waverly nodded, mentally making a list in her head.

 

"Dolls?"

 

"Gross, no."

 

"Doc?"

 

She watched as Wynonna tried to play it off.

 

"No."

 

"Spill."

 

"Wehadsex." She shot out.

 

Waverly was glad she didn't take a drink yet. It would've been all over Wynonna by now.

 

"You _what!?_ "

 

"At the party. We went upstairs and-"

 

"No, no ah." Waverly cringed, holding up a hand. "No details, please."

 

"Well, that's why we left so fast."

 

Waverly breathed. It took her a few minutes before she inevitably starting laughing.

 

"Waverly, it's not funny."

 

"No, no. You're right. It's not." She tried to contain her laughter. "It's just, you've never acted like that after having sex with someone."

 

"Well, if you didn't notice. Doc is different than 'someone'."

 

"So, you do like him?"

 

"Can we go back to your love life now?"


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so this was more of a filler chapter but the next few chapters are really well planned out, I think. I did a poll on twitter about if I should write other characters POV too and the majority so far is yes, so I think I'll get more into how other characters are feeling in the next few chapters. let me know what you think.

"I just don't understand why you guys aren't dating yet." Waverly thought aloud.

 

Her and Jeremy were making their way to the library so he could see Robin. She almost didn't go until Jeremy reminded her that she had books she needed to return. Which gave him the perfect chance to see his not-so-subtle crush.

 

"Because it's not that easy, he doesn't even know I like him." Jeremy explained.

 

"So, tell him?"

 

"Yeah, right."

 

They walked through the library doors side by side. Heading towards the front desk where Robin was working.

 

"Hey Jeremy. Hey Waves." He greeted. "Returning these?"

 

"Yes. I'll be back to check some out." She laughed. "See ya."

 

She left Jeremy and Robin alone. She's been trying to get them together since the start of this semester, to no avail. Jeremy's too scared to tell Robin he likes him even though she's told them both multiple times that their feelings are reciprocated; have been for a while.

 

"Waverly."

 

She turned in search of the familiar voice. "Nicole, Hey." She smiled. "I didn't know you hung out in libraries."

 

"Ha ha, very funny." Nicole mocked. "I have to study in order to pass this stupid Chemistry class."

 

Waverly sat down across from her friend? She didn't know what they were, honestly. They've talked a few times and their introduction was definitely something. But she didn't want to use titles that weren't right.

 

_Acquaintance it is._ She thought.

 

"How's it going so far?"

 

"The studying? It sucks and I don't understand most of it, but I'm passing with at least a 'C'."

 

"Can I take a look?"

 

Nicole pushes her books across the table towards Waverly. "Have at it."

 

Waverly looks at Nicole's notes. Pointing out a few errors to her and passing her work back.

 

"I didn't know you were such a nerd at Chemistry." Nicole jokes.

 

"I took a class in highschool for extra credit. I actually kind of liked it." She explained.

 

"That makes one of us."

 

Waverly cracked a small smile. "I can help you with it, if you want? I don't know how much of an impact I'll have and I doubt it'll be as good as just getting a tutor from the college, but I can try."

 

"You're offering to tutor me?"

 

Waverly nodded her head.

 

"Okay." Nicole smirked. "Why not? I mean, it can't hurt. You clearly know more than I do."

 

Waverly felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Smiling at Nicole she took it out and checked the message.

 

Jer (3:11pm): You having fun flirting ;)

 

Waverly (3:12pm): i don't know what you're talking about

 

Jer (3:12pm): Yeaaah. Okay. Me and Robin are going to get coffee for his break, do you need anything?

 

Waverly glanced across her room towards her friend. She typed out a quick "no, have fun" and turned her attention back to the redhead.

 

"Are they a thing?"

 

The brunette laughed. "Unfortunately, no. Neither one of them will make a move in fear that the other doesn't have the same feelings. Despite me telling them otherwise."

 

"Could've fooled me. They sure act like they're together."

 

"Lunch dates and all." Waverly smiled.

 

\-------

 

"So, Nicole and Waverly." Robin started. "Totally a thing, right?"

 

"Or a future thing." Jeremy laughed. "I don't think Waverly even thinks she's gay yet."

 

"Because the body shot thing wasn't a revelation for her." Robin said sarcastically.

 

They walked inside the small coffee shop.

 

"I'll order, find a place to sit?" Jeremy offered. When Robin nodded and walked away, he approached the counter. Ordering his and Robin's drink from memory.

 

\--------

 

Waverly was pulled from her thoughts with a knock on her door. She quickly got up and opened it.

 

"I kissed him." Jeremy blurted out.

 

"Okay..." Urging him to continue, she opened the door wider.

 

"And he kissed me back."

 

The girl watched as her friend paced the room.

 

"I don't understand the problem."

 

"I kissed him, he kissed me back and then I left."

 

Waverly quirked an eyebrow. "Left, as in...?"

 

"I literally ran, Waverly. I kissed him and then I _ran._ "

 

"No."

 

"Yes."

 

Waverly gasped. "You didn't."

 

"Oh but I did."

 

She sat down on her bed, motioning for him to sit next to her.

 

"Do you wanna talk about it?" She asked sympathetically.

 

"I don't why I ran. So, how do I talk about that?"

 

She smiled a little sadly. "Well, your feelings towards him are still there, right?"

 

He nodded his head, so she continued.

 

"Maybe the kiss scared you? You know because that made it more real or something?" She tried.

 

"I can just hide here forever and never face him again." Jeremy put his head in his hands.

 

Waverly rubbed his back. "I think you should figure out your feelings for sure and then call him or talk to him, something."

 

"How are you so good at giving everyone relationship advice but continue to date the biggest asshole on this campus?"

 

She laughs and hugs her friend. "Easy. I ignore every bad feeling I have about him in hopes it'll go away."

 

Jeremy gave her a sad look. "You know you deserve better, right? You can do better."

 

"That's what I keep hearing."

 

"I just want you to be happy, Waves."

 

"Same for you. So text Robin." She handed him his phone.

 

Waverly looked at her door as Wynonna walked through.

 

"Hey nerd, beat it." She said pointing to Jeremy.

 

"We really have to teach you to knock." Waverly rolled her eyes.

 

"Yeah, yeah."

 

Jeremy gave Waverly a hug, standing up and walking towards the door.

 

"You should really be nicer to me, Wynonna. I could stop doing your homework anytime."

 

"You wouldn't." Wynonna fake gasped.

 

Secretly, she loved Jeremy and all of Waverly's friends. She was happy that her sister had someone good for her knowing she wasn't that great of an influence herself.

 

"I need to talk to you and you need to give me advice." Wynonna plopped down next to Waverly.

 

"The theme of the day, apparently."

 

"Doc and I had sex." She started.

 

"Well aware, thank you for painting that picture again."

 

"You're welcome." Wynonna smirked. "Anyway, I don't think I... like him."

 

"And you came to me hoping for?"

 

"Advice on what to do."

 

Waverly sighed. "Didn't you like him before you guys had sex? Was it that bad."

 

"No, it was great. But I realized that if we dated and broke up it would hurt our friend group more than it would probably hurt us and I don't want to be the person that tears us all apart again." She explained, referring to events that took place during high school.

 

"You're both adults, Wynonna. I think if you dated and broke up, you'd be able to handle it."

 

"I'm looking for different advice, baby girl."

 

"You should take your own advice. Tell him what you just told me." Waverly suggests. "It's Doc. I'm sure he'll understand."

 

"What did Jeremy need?" She pried.

 

"He kissed Robin and ran."


	4. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's my birthday and the best gift is giving, right? so here's two chapters sjdjd.

Tired was an understatement of how Waverly was feeling. She practically stayed up all night brushing up on her chemistry so she could help Nicole. She was pretty confident that she remembered everything but it was practically in her nature to double-check.

 

But because of that, now she's been running off two hours of sleep the entire day and she has practice on top of it all.

 

"You don't look okay." Chrissy commented.

 

"Wow. Thank you so much."

 

"I didn't mean it like that. I meant, you look stressed; or tired. Or both?"

 

"I stayed up all night practicing chemistry questions and I haven't taken a nap today." Waverly explained.

 

"Chemistry? You don't take that class though."

 

"Correct." Waverly nodded. "But Nicole does and I offered to help her get her grade up."

 

Chrissy coughed. "Whipped."

 

"Shut up."

 

\------

 

"Hey, babe."

 

Waverly turned around and smiled at her boyfriend.

 

"Hey."

 

He leaned in to kiss her. She quickly pecked him on the cheek. Definitely not running off of enough sleep to deal with him today.

 

"You okay? You've been acting kind of weird recently."

 

"Fine." She smiled.

 

"Good." He wrapped his arms around her waist.

 

It took everything in her not to pull away, but she gave in anyway.

 

"If you're not busy today, we can go do something." He smirked, Waverly not at all missing what it was he was implying.

 

"She is, actually." Nicole butt in.

 

Waverly's mood instantly improved. Mentally thanking Nicole for interrupting. She can only say no to having sex with him so many times before he gets suspicious. Since day one she's been finding excuses not to and he's been finding it somewhere else. She knew but she didn't say anything. She let him think she was clueless.

 

"Of course." His tone was a bit annoyed but Nicole couldn't care less.

 

"Mad?" She quirked an eyebrow.

 

"I just don't have a good feeling about you being around _my_ girl."

 

Nicole raised her eyebrows. "Waverly isn't anyone's property, Champ."

 

"Okaaaay." Waverly interrupted. "I think we're done here. I'll see you later, babe." She gave him a quick kiss before practically dragging Nicole along with her.

 

"I wasn't done." Nicole complained.

 

"You are now, okay?"

 

The redheads 'hardass' persona immediately dropped, being replaced by something soft that's only ever present around Waverly. "Okay."

 

"Haught. What do you think you're doing with my sister?" Wynonna said looking between the two.

 

"Uh.. studying?" Nicole replied with a confused tone. She knew what Wynonna was probably thinking but it was fun to make her mad.

 

"Studying my ass. Come on, Waverly."

 

"No, Wynonna." Waverly rolled her eyes. "I promised her I'd help her with chemistry."

 

It took everything in Nicole to not to bust out laughing at the irony of the situation.

 

"Are you guys playing some game with me?"

 

"What?"

 

"We're actually just studying. You can join us if you'd like?" Nicole offered sarcastically. "I know you probably need some help understanding the work that you don't do."

 

Wynonna scoffed. "So funny."

 

"Are you two finished?" Waverly crossed her arms and practically scolded her sister. "Get your heads out of your asses, please. I'm allowed to hangout with Nicole. I don't understand why everyone keeps acting like I can't make my own decisions." She walked away.

 

"See, now look what you did." Wynonna said pointedly.

 

"Me? I think this was definitely about you. What's your problem, Earp?"

 

"Oh, God. I don't know. Maybe I don't trust you with my little sister? I know how you are, Nicole."

 

"I don't know what you think my intentions with her are but we're just friends. Accept it."

 

\-------

 

Nicole walked out of the gym, quickly finding Waverly sitting on one of the benches by the door. She quietly sat down, not sure if she should break the silence or not.

 

After about five minutes Waverly spoke.

 

"Why do people keep telling me to not be around you?"

 

Nicole sat back and sighed. "Well, that depends who you ask."

 

"I'm asking you."

 

She turned to Waverly, taking in her features. Her eyes trailed from her neck, to her jawline, then to the questioning look on her face. She took it all in. The creases between her eyebrows, her eyes and how intently they looked at Nicole.

 

"Wynonna hates me for many reasons. The coaches skipped her and chose me for team captain knowing damn well she's just as good as me, if not better. I think she also thinks I'm taking Dolls away from her and uh, maybe I uh.." Nicole cleared her throat. "Slept with her best friend during high school and then ghosted her afterwards." She said lowly.

 

Waverly nodded. "I don't get the whole player thing."

 

Nicole shrugged. "Commitments a bitch?"

 

That earned a small smile from the brunette. "Are you ready to go?"

 

"Yes."

 

They walked to Nicole's car since Waverly came with Wynonna, meaning she couldn't drive. She was only slightly shocked to see the muscle car that Nicole drove. She knew the girl had money but looking at all the improvements that's been added, it was a lot to take in.

 

"You should close your mouth before a bug gets in there." Nicole laughed.

 

Waverly picked her jaw up from the ground and looked at the other woman.

 

"I didn't know you were into cars."

 

Nicole opened the passenger side door and motioned for Waverly to get in.

 

"Yeah, something like that." She laughed.

 

\--------

 

They decided on just going to Nicole's apartment off campus to reduce the chances of someone just walking in and interrupting them. Waverly didn't realize how serious Nicole was about getting her grade up until she suggested it.

 

"Or we could go to like the library or somewhere else if you don't feel comfortable being alone with me." Nicole offered.

 

Waverly thought it was kind of sweet that Nicole cared, or at least acted like she did, enough to ask about her comfortability.

 

When they pulled up to the building it was different than Waverly expected. Instead of some fancy, rich penthouse it was just an average apartment building.

 

"Don't look so surprised." Nicole said playfully.

 

"I'm- I'm not." She lied.

 

Nicole pulled into the parking garage and got out of the car, opening the door for Waverly and waited until she got out to shut it.

 

"You really don't have to do that, you know."

 

Nicole laughed. "No but I want to."

 

"Well, then I guess it's okay." Waverly joked.

 

They entered the building and took the stairs to Nicole's apartment. It was only three floors up and Waverly was slacking on her morning runs anyway, but running off of no sleep made you more tired than she thought. By the time she reached Nicole's apartment she was out of breath and was in desperate need of some water.

 

"We could've taken the elevator." Nicole laughed.

 

"Normally, I'd be able to run up and down three flights of stairs more than once but I'm tired and wasn't expecting that to be so much work."

 

"You're tired?"

 

Waverly nodded as she watched Nicole unlock the door and step inside. The brunette took in her surroundings. Everything was fairly simple. There wasn't too many decorations; a few plants and books here and there.

 

"Can I ask why? Or is that too personal?"

 

Nicole grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and handed it to Waverly.

 

"I didn't sleep much last night and then on top of that I had three classes and practice." She explained.

 

"And you're still offering to be here and do more work? You should've told me, I would've let you go home and sleep."

 

Waverly took a drink of the water and smiled at Nicole. "I said I'd help you."

 

"That was without me knowing you haven't slept."

 

"I have slept, just not a lot."

 

"Same thing."

 

Waverly shrugged and set her stuff down in front of the door.

 

"Do you have a preference of where you want to sit?" Waverly asked.

 

"No, not really." Nicole looked around the room. "We can sit at the island if you want to be more 'professional', or there's always the couch." She pointed to the living room. "Or the bed." She winked.

 

Waverly knew she was joking but that didn't stop her body from getting hot and her cheeks sporting a crimson color. "Very funny."

 

They eventually settled into the couch. Nicole decided Waverly should be comfortable considering she spent most of the day in uncomfortable school chairs.

 

"I didn't know what parts you really needed help with so I just brought everything that I had." Waverly said, taking out books from her bag.

 

"I've kind of got the basics down but anything after that is still confusing. I usually try to Google the answers."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes. "You'll definitely pass with the help of the internet." She said sarcastically.

 

"It's worked so far."

 

They spent around two hours studying until Nicole decided she was done.

 

"My brain hurts." She complained.

 

"I've answered ninety percent of the questions." Waverly shot back. "There's no way your brain can hurt that much."

 

"Well it's my brain and I say it hurts."

 

Waverly laughed and closed her book. "We can take a break but I hardly doubt you learned much."

 

"Not true. I learned that chemistry sucks and I should just drop out."

 

"Can I ask a question?"

 

"Haven't you been doing that all night?" Nicole smirked. "Go for it."

 

"Why pre-med?"

 

"You kind of have to take it to get into medical school." She laughed.

 

"Okay, smartass. I meant why'd you decide you want to be a doctor."

 

"I like helping people."

 

Waverly gave her an incredulous look.

 

"I understand the music thing but why history?" Nicole was quick to change the subject.

 

"I don't really know. It intrigues me, I guess. You can do a lot with a History major." The shorter woman went along with the clear change, not wanting to push into Nicole's business too much.

 

"Can I ask you a question?"

 

"Shoot."

 

"Why Champ?"

 

For some reason that was the last question she expected to come from Nicole's mouth. She thought for a moment on how to reply.

 

"Honestly?" Nicole nodded. "So many people have asked me that question and I've never had a legit answer. I started dating him after we graduated and it was easy since I didn't have to see him everyday. Everyone around me was happy with their boyfriends or girlfriends or whoever and I was just.. there. He'd been trying to date me all of senior year so I eventually just gave in. I don't really have a good reason."

 

"So, you don't love him?"

 

"I think a part of me could if he was a different person."

 

"I can get that." Nicole had an empathetic look on her face.

 

"You don't talk about yourself much." 

 

It was more of an observation than a question but Nicole answered anyway. "I don't feel like there's a lot to talk about."

 

"I think there might be and when you want to, I'm gonna be here."

 

\--------

 

Nicole dropped Waverly off around midnight. Time got ahead of them and they ended up completely ditching studying and just talking. By the time either of them realized how late it was, Waverly was barely able to keep her eyes open. Nicole offered for her to just stay the night but Waverly would never hear the end of it from Wynonna if she found out that happened. Despite the younger Earp not caring what her sister has to say that much.

 

Nicole walked her all the way to her room even after Waverly told her she didn't have to. They were just around the corner when they ran into Chrissy. They said their goodbyes and Waverly walked with her best friend towards her room.

 

"So, you two best friends now?"

 

"Why are you awake and more importantly, why are you in this building?"

 

"I was visiting someone. I stopped at your room but you didn't answer, I figured you were asleep. Turns out you're hanging out with the one person that almost everyone in this dorm hates the most." She joked.

 

"I was helping her study and then we started talking and I don't have to explain any of this to you." Waverly realized.

 

They stopped just short of Waverly's room.

 

"Okay, Waves. I'm gonna be blunt." Chrissy started. "I think there's more going on here that you either don't want to realize or don't want to talk about. Which is fine." She reassured. "But I think you should stop pushing down your feelings about any and everything just because you're scared of the reaction people will have. I love you but girl, you deserve to be happy and by doing what you're doing; you're only putting a pause on that happiness."

 

"Goodnight, Chrissy." Waverly smiled and walked into her room.


	5. V

To say the least, Waverly has been distracted all day. She couldn't stop replaying what Chrissy said days ago in her head. Her mind kept going back to her past. Not only questioning her sexuality but everything, past boyfriends, past situations, past friends that she thinks could've been crushes. Confusing didn't even begin to explain it.

She focused her attention back on the game. Watching the player that's been on her mind for so long now. They'd been ahead for most of the game until they hit the last quarter and the opposing team started to pick up. Nicole dribbled the ball across the court, easily dodging the players around her, stopping just before the three point arch. She lined up her shot and went to throw the ball effortlessly into the hoop but not before a girl practically tripped her as she jumped.

Both Waverly and Nicole's eyes followed the ball, ignoring the sound of the whistle from the referee calling a foul. It swished through the hoop smoothly, earning Nicole a free throw.

She got up off the ground and turned towards the girl. "What the hell was that!?"

"I didn't do anything."

"My fucking ass you didn't."

"Girls break it up!" Nicole's coach yelled from the sidelines.

"Come on, Haught. It's not worth it." Wynonna grabbed Nicole's arm and gently pulled her away.

Reluctantly, Nicole left it alone. Glancing at the clock to see they had about seven minutes left of the game. 

The redhead got lined up for the free throw. Waverly couldn't help but stare at her toned arms as she tossed the ball in the hoop, earning her team four points.

The rest of the game Waverly could tell Nicole was pushing herself to get as many shots in as she could. Every time she shot one she'd turn her attention towards the brunette. Of course, Waverly would smile and cheer each time.

The game ended 41-28. The cheerleaders did their end of the game routine as the basketball players all exited the court towards the locker rooms.

Waverly waited for Wynonna by the gym doors. Saying bye to the other cheerleaders and promising to meet them at Shorty's for the after party. It was a tradition in their school. First game of the season called for an after party, whether they win or lose.

After Wynonna was dressed and cleaned up they both started towards the bar. Being some of the first people there, they claimed a booth in the back corner.

"Doc and Dolls will be here in a little bit, do you want to order?" Wynonna asked.

"Chrissy is on her way, I don't know if Robin and Jeremy are coming yet or not. They didn't make it to the game so hopefully that's a good sign." Waverly crossed her fingers. "I'll order. What do you want?"

"The usual." Wynonna smiled cheekily.

Waverly walked up to the counter, ordering a pitcher of beer from Gus.

"Hey, Sweetie." She greeted. "How's class?"

Waverly smiled at the woman that has practically raised her and Wynonna since her father died.

"It's good. I'm passing all of my classes and they're not nearly as hard as everyone said they would be." 

"You make any friends?"

Waverly shrugged her shoulders, her mind instantly going back to Nicole.

"Can I get two beers please?"

Think of the devil and she shall appear. Waverly thought.

"Oh, hey. You're here." Nicole smiled at Waverly.

"Gus, this is Nicole." Waverly turned back to the older woman.

"So, you did." Gus commented. Extending her hand out to Nicole.

"Did what?" Nicole asked, a curious expression across her face.

"Nothing." Waverly quickly answered. Giving Gus a look.

"Nicole, this is Gus. She has basically raised Wynonna and I."

"It's nice to meet you, Gus."

"I'll get you those beers." The older woman smiled.

"You're here with Wynonna?" Nicole turned her attention to Waverly.

"Yes and I hate to cut this short but if I don't get this to Wynonna then I won't be here at all." Waverly laughed and pointed to the pitcher of beer.

Nicole made a face. "Better get going then."

"I'll see you around."

Waverly sat the pitcher and two glasses down on the table in front of Wynonna.

"Make it last or I'm not paying for anymore of your drinks ever."

"You're drinking it, too. It shouldn't count." Wynonna complained. 

After a while, everyone eventually started crowding into the small bar. Some of the girls from the cheer squad came over to the booth and started talking to Waverly. That is until Wynonna practically threatened them with death because they were "too annoying with their high pitched squeaky stuck up laughs". Dolls and Doc joined them around the same time. Wynonna somehow bribed Dolls into buying them each a round of beers.

Somewhat reluctantly, Waverly went off to find Champ. She knew he was probably here but hadn't heard from him and she does have an appearance to keep after all. 

After talking with a few people, they pointed her in the right direction.

She climbed the stairs to the apartment upstairs. Reaching the top and finding the door slightly opened, she pushed through it. Something she'd later think back on and regret doing. The door opened to Champ and some dark haired girl without clothes on making out; basically on the line of having sex. It didn't bother Waverly as much as it should, but it did still bother her. Mainly because she knew Champ had been cheating on her, but she never actually saw it until now. She was fine without seeing it.

Champ looked at Waverly and both bodies stopped what they were doing. Without a word Waverly turned and made her way back down the steps. Her path was a straight shot to the bar.

She didn't stop when she heard Nicole calling her name until she felt a soft hand grab her arm lightly.

"Waverly."

"Huh?" The brunette avoided making eye contact, still not sure why exactly she was bothered by what just happened.

"Are you okay?"

"I need a drink. I need to get drunk."

"Oh. Okay? I mean, you're in a bar-" Nicole trailed off when she saw the look on Waverly's face. "and it's probably not a good time for me to be making jokes. Got it."

Nicole followed the shorter woman towards the bar. She wasn't sure what happened but she knew she wasn't about to leave one of the few people she might actually care about alone in a crowded bar full of college students when something was clearly wrong.

Waverly passed Nicole a shot and downing one of her own. Without question the redhead took it.

"You wanna tell me what's wrong or are you just gonna keep passing me liquor?"

Waverly poured two more shots. "Champ is currently upstairs, or was, I don't actually know. But he's cheating on me and before it didn't bother me but now I feel like I have something to prove, you know? But I just lost my boyfriend so how do I even prove that something to everyone around me?" Waverly downed another shot, along with Nicole.

Nicole coughed and set the shot glass down. "I'm sorry, you're speaking in code right? Because I hardly understood any of that."

"It's like everything is changing around me and I can't control it; and I have to be okay with it because I'm everyone's someone to come to but hardly anyone asks how I'm doing and if I'm actually okay with it."

Waverly takes another shot. She grabs the bottle and goes to pour herself another one but Nicole stops her. Grabbing her hand from across the bar.

"Waves, I think you should slow down and take. breather. Then talk."

It was the second time Nicole used that nickname but the first time that Waverly heard it so softly from her mouth. She's never really gotten butterflies before but the way it's described in books definitely doesn't do it justice. She took a deep breathe, tightening her grip on Nicole's hand before letting go and letting her head fall into her hands.

"I walked in on Champ about to have sex with some girl." She started. "I've known he was cheating on me before and I was okay with it because that meant I didn't have to have sex with him. But a lot has changed in the past week and actually seeing it for myself kinda bothered me."

Nicole was instantly angry.

"He's here?"

"Yes." Waverly nodded.

She could see the gears turning in Nicole's head. The silent debate about whether or not she should beat Champs ass now or later.

"Don't do anything, Nicole. He's not worth it."

"Waverly!"

That's the second time this has happened. Waverly thought.

"Not now, Champ."

"Baby, I'm sorry."

"She said not now." Nicole butt in.

"You're not a part of this." He turned to Nicole.

Nicole stood up from the chair she was sitting on. Standing face to face with him.

"Nicole." Waverly warned.

"No, let her do it, babe. You think some rich ginger butch lesbian could stand a chance against me?"

Nicole was about to lunge at him before she felt someone grab her arms a pull her back.

"This is the second time I've gotten your ass out of trouble, Haught." Wynonna stood between the two of them.

Waverly made her way around the bar and placed a hand on Nicole's arm in an attempt to calm her down.

"Of course you'd take your little girlfriend's side." Champ says in disgust. "I knew there was something going on between you two."

Waverly stood further in front of Nicole, just in case.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" Wynonna yelled.

"Did you know Nicole took body shots off of Waverly at that party a while back?" He said, not being able to let it go.

Nicole felt Waverly tense as Wynonna looked between the two.

"You what!?"

"Yeah and ever since then, look how close they've gotten. She sees my girlfriend more than I do."

"Oh my God, I'm not your girlfriend anymore." Waverly shouted. "We're done, Champ. I'm done having to pretend I'm happy with you. You can go off and have sex with whoever you want, I'm done."

"Okay, okay. Break it up or take it outside." Gus came between all of them.

"This is that little bitches fault." Champ pointed at Nicole, taking a step forward.

Nicole tried to get closer but Waverly stepped in front of her. Grabbing her by her waist and pushing her back, creating more distance.

"Champ, I think you should leave." Gus said.

"Whatever. This isn't over."

Waverly didn't let go of Nicole until Champ was out of the bar and she was sure Nicole wasn't going to go after him.

"I think we should talk." Wynonna said carefully to Waverly.

She nodded at Wynonna before turning back to Nicole.

"Are you all right?"

"I think I should be asking you that." Nicole smiled down at Waverly. "I'm sorry I did all of that."

"I think that's the first time I've ever had anyone other than Wynonna really stand up for me. It was kind of sweet." Waverly smiled. "But you really should stop doing that."

Nicole laughed. "Go talk to your sister. I'll still be around when you get back."

\--------

The two sisters decided to go to Wynonna's truck and talk. It would be at least a little more personal than talking inside. That whole scene created a lot of attention turned towards them, Waverly could only imagine what people are saying right about now.

"What time during this party did you- did she-." Wynonna stuttered. She knew her sister had a life, but it was weird seeing her grown up how she is now.

"Probably around the same time you and Doc were doing the horizontal tango." She murmured.

"Right." Wynonna nodded. "And do you, I don't know. Do you like her?"

Waverly shrugged. "I can't even understand my feelings myself, let alone put them into words for someone else to try to understand. I don't know."

"Listen," Wynonna took a deep breath. "I know Nicole and I don't necessarily get along-"

"You guys literally hate each other."

"Hate is a strong word. My point is, if she makes you happy then I'll deal with it. Maybe I'll even be nice to her, who knows. But when you do figure out whatever it is you're feeling, my arms will be open and I'll be more than willing to listen to you talk about anything."

"Thanks, Wynonna."

"Just a suggestion. But if you wanna pick someone else other than my biggest enemy to possibly have feelings for, that would be great." Wynonna winked.

Waverly laughed. "Shut up."


	6. VI

"How'd you know you're gay?"

 

Jeremy practically choked on his coffee. Waverly asked him if he wanted to meet to talk and catch up since him and Robin never really made it to the bar. They had a lot to talk about and he was the only person she could honestly talk to about this. She couldn't go to Nicole considering...

 

"I- uh- what?"

 

"Well, I realized we've never really talked about it and I'm kind of curious." _In more ways than_ _one_. She thought.

 

"I knew because I kissed a guy in ninth grade." He stated. "But it's different for everyone, I guess. I questioned it before when I never connected with a girl. I tried dating different people but it never felt right until then." He explained.

 

"So, hypothetically. If I want to know if I'm gay, I should kiss a girl?"

 

"Hypothetically, if you're questioning your sexuality then chances are you're not straight." He laughed. "What's going on?"

 

"Just doing research." She didn't have to lie to Jeremy, but saying it out loud was something she wasn't all that ready for. "Tell me what happened with you and Robin."

 

He took a deep breath. "Well, we talked. We decided we should take it slow."

 

"That's good, right?" Waverly encouraged.

 

"Yeah, it is. He's really sweet and we talked all night about us. He told me how he realized he liked me and how you knew."

 

"I tried telling the both of you." She defended.

 

"Yeah, yeah."

 

"I'm glad you guys are happy."

 

Jeremy smiled at her. "So, what happened with Champ?"

 

Waverly sighed and rolled her eyes. "Too much."

 

\--------

 

Nicole sat down at their usual table in the small coffee shop off campus, pulling out her phone and texting the group chat.

 

Nicole (1:56pm): funny how i'm here before everyone else for once

 

Dolls (1:57pm): Me and Wynonna are on our way

 

Nicole (1:57pm): great

 

Wynonna (1:59pm): don't act so upset haught

 

Nicole took a sip of her coffee, waiting for the others to arrive. She scrolled through her phone, her thumb hovering over one name. Eventually, she sat her phone down on the table; just in time for Dolls and Wynonna.

 

"I ordered for you guys." Nicole pushed the cups towards them. "Where's Doc?"

 

She didn't miss the look that passed Wynonna's features.

 

"No clue." She took a sip of her coffee.

 

"Hmm."

 

"Wynonna and Doc had sex and now they're acting weird." Dolls said bluntly.

 

"What the hell, dude!?"

 

"You guys what-" Nicole's eyes were practically popping out of the sockets. "When?"

 

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe around the same time you were licking salt off of my little sisters stomach."

 

Nicole sat back in her chair and smiled. "Ah."

 

"Speaking of, what's going on with you two?" Dolls asked.

 

Nicole shrugged her shoulders as Wynonna answered for her.

 

"Nothing is going on between them. Right, Haught?"

 

"Sure." She smirked.

 

Dolls watched the stare down happening and laughed. "You know, one day the both of you are gonna have to get along."

 

"Well today's not one day." Wynonna didn't look away from Nicole.

 

The redhead sighed. "Me and Waverly are just friends."

 

"If you're thinking about doing anything to her, Nicole. I swear to God."

 

Nicole raised her hands in surrender. "I have no intentions."

 

Dolls snorted. "Right."

 

"What?"

 

"Nicole, there's never been a time where you met a girl and didn't instantly think about getting her into bed."

 

"Yeah, well. She's different."

 

Wynonna eyed her wearily, taking a drink of her coffee.

 

\--------

 

Wynonna walked down the hall of the men's dorms. Finding the room she was looking for and briefly knocking on the door.

 

"Wynonna."

 

"We should talk." She walked through the door into Doc's room.

 

"Okay."

 

Wynonna took a deep breath and sat down on his bed. "We had sex."

 

"I was there." He nodded.

 

"Shut up." She rolled her eyes. "I think we should just be friends. I don't want to mess anything up with our friends or us. We're great as friends, right?"

 

Doc nodded his head and sat down next to her. "Okay."

 

She stared at him, hoping he'd say more.

 

"Okay? That's it?"

 

"You are right. I think we should just be friends."

 

"Really?"

 

"Did you expect something else?"

 

Wynonna shook her head. "I mean, I thought that would take more convincing."

 

"We are great as friends and you are right. If something happened it would be awkward for everyone around us. I would not like having to make anyone pick sides."

 

"Wow, Waves was right."

 

"What?"

 

The girl laughed. "Nothing. Nothing at all. You wanna watch a movie or something?"

 

They settled into Doc's dorm. All of the tension in the air dissipating around them.

 

\--------

 

Waverly's been annoyed before, of course. But nothing compared to her level of annoyance now.

 

"I think we can work it out." Champ suggested.

 

"I don't think so nor do I want to." Waverly rolled her eyes. "I do think you should leave though."

 

Waverly went to close her door but Champ stuck his hand out stopping it.

 

"Babe, come on. It was a mistake."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes in disgust. "Champ, we're done. I've said it so many times already."

 

"This _is_ about your little friend, isn't it?"

 

"Or she just doesn't want to be with you anymore." Nicole stepped between him and Waverly.

 

"I think it's pretty funny that every time I see my girlfriend, I see you." Champ said.

 

Nicole crossed her arms. "Do you need a hearing aid? She's not your girlfriend anymore, Champ."

 

She stuck her hand out and pushed him backwards, stepping further into Waverly's room.

 

"And if you don't want half of the girls dorm seeing you get your ass beat by a girl then I'd leave. You might lose your chances trying to get with any of them." She closed Waverly's door and turned to face her.

 

"How is it that every time I need saving you always show up?" Waverly joked.

 

"I think you're fully capable of saving yourself." Nicole commented. "Maybe I just have good timing."

 

"Maybe." Waverly said. "Did you need something?"

 

"Just wanted to see you." Nicole held up a white bag. "I brought food."

 

Waverly smiled and grabbed the bag.

 

\--------

 

Wynonna unlocked her door, sighing as she walked into her room and saw the boxes everywhere.

 

"Great."

 

She made her way through the path of things and further into her room.

 

"Let me guess, you're Wynonna."

 

She turned abruptly to a dark haired girl standing on the other side of the room.

 

"And you are?"

 

The girl extended her hand. "Rosita. I'm your new roommate."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> introducing Wynonna's roommate and finally leaving champ out of this shit?
> 
> let me know what you think 
> 
> come talk to me on twitter @wlwearp


	7. VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so this chapter is kind of short and I didn't know how to end it so, to make up for it. I uploaded another one along with it (:

"I knew it!" Chrissy yelled jumping up and down.

 

"Would you lower your voice. It's almost midnight, people are trying to sleep."

 

"Waves, it's college. No one is asleep right now."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes and fell backwards onto her bed. She almost wasn't going to tell Chrissy about her newfound feelings for the basketball player but she figured her best friend could give her some kind of insight on what to do. She didn't though. Instead she was very adamant on saying she knew all along and using the 'I told you so' line multiple times.

 

"Are you gonna tell her?"

 

"I don't know." Waverly continued to stare at her ceiling. "I don't think I'd be able to be anything other than one of her 'girls that are friends'."

 

"Are you kidding me?" Chrissy sat next to her, putting a hand on her leg. "Do you not see the way she looks at you or acts around you? Girls got it bad."

 

"That may be true but when's the last time you heard of Nicole Haught being in a relationship." She stated.

 

"There's a first for everything."

 

Waverly snorted. "You have no idea."

 

"I think you should talk to her."

 

The brunette sat up and looked at her friend. "I don't even know what to say. I don't even know what I'm feeling. It's too confusing to even think about."

 

"I think if anyone would know how to explain what you're feeling it would be her. I mean, she is gay."

 

"Yeah I'll just talk to the person I like about liking her. Sure."

 

\--------

 

Wynonna watched as Rosita put her stuff away and settled in. She definitely wasn't thrilled to have a roommate, going her entire college history without one. But the woman didn't seem that bad and they had a little bit in common from what Wynonna could see.

 

"So, basketball huh?" Rosita said, pointing to the Jersey's hung across Wynonna's desk chair.

 

"Yeah. You play?"

 

"I haven't played a sport a day in my life."

 

"If you wanna show school spirit or whatever, you can come to a game." She offered. "Although, I don't know how well you'll be able to follow along."

 

"If our team wins it's good, if the other team wins it's bad." Rosita commented. "I think I got it."

 

Wynonna let out a laugh. "Sure."

 

"I know you're probably not that happy that you got a roommate but we kind of have to get along, at least a little bit."

 

"Not necessarily."

 

"Wynonna."

 

"Okay, fine. I guess you're kinda right."

 

"Exactly."

 

"I don't do friends." Wynonna stated.

 

"I'd hope not, that would be awkward."

 

Instantly, Wynonna's face got red. "That's not-, okay whatever. I can show you around sometime if you want? I don't know how much I can show you considering I only really pay attention to where the parties are and games."

 

Rosita laughed. "Yeah well, the last party I went to I made out with some frat boy."

 

"Gross."

 

"The fact that I made out with him or the fact he's a guy?"

 

Wynonna shook her head. "Not what I meant. Listen, we have a game tomorrow and I can plan a party by Friday as long as you don't make out with any of my friends."

 

"Sounds like a plan."

 

"And for the love of God, stay away from any redhead you meet."

 

\--------

 

"Okay, here's the deal, nerds." Wynonna sat down at the table with her friends. "I have a new roommate-"

 

"We're not helping you kill her."

 

"Shut up, Haught." Wynonna said pointedly. "We're gonna throw a party so she can make friends and leave me the hell alone."

 

"Didn't we just have a party like a few weeks ago?" Dolls commented.

 

"Weeks feel like years when you're in college." Doc sighed.

 

"What's your issue?" Wynonna asked.

 

"He's failing one class that can hold him back an entire year." Nicole took a drink from her cup.

 

"See, just the thing that'll cheer you up." Wynonna clapped. "So, who's throwing it."

 

Everyone at the table turned to Nicole. The redhead shook her head. "Uh uh, nope. No way."

 

"Come on, Nicole. You're the only one that really has space."

 

"I throw all the parties." She complained.

 

"You can keep your streak, then."

 

"No."

 

"I'll find you a cute girl to hook up with."

 

"I'm fully capable of doing that myself, Earp." She rolled her eyes. "Besides, aren't you the one that's always complaining about me doing that. What's the deal?"

 

Wynonna groaned and laid her head down on the table. "My roommate is nice." She mumbled.

 

Dolls practically fell out of his chair. "Did I just hear Wynonna Earp give someone a compliment?"

 

"I give you compliments all the time."

 

"Sarcastically, sure." Dolls laughed. "Isn't a good thing that she's nice? That means you'll have someone else to annoy all the time."

 

"She's nice and _not_ annoying and I think she wants to be _friends._ " She said with disgust.

 

"That's good. You need more friends."

 

Wynonna stuck her hand up and flicked Nicole off.

 

After Wynonna doing her best to bribe Nicole, the redhead finally gave in. They decided on just throwing it at Nicole's apartment back in Purgatory since it was bigger than her apartment by the campus. Wynonna offered to buy all the alcohol in return for Nicole doing everything else. Dolls was actually shocked they were able to make plans without getting into an argument.

 

The game went by as smoothly as the first, without Nicole getting tripped or hurt for once. Waverly and Nicole left together for their study session. It was already late but they made plans for it a few days before and they both wanted to see each other outside of school or games. Wynonna, surprisingly, didn't have anything to say about Waverly leaving with the redhead. Which left Nicole a bit confused but she let it go. Figuring Wynonna probably wanted to be on her good side.

 

They settled into Nicole's couch like they had before. Waverly was getting used to this little routine. Nicole would make jokes that sometimes would leave Waverly questioning whether or not they're actually jokes. They'd study for an hour, sometimes less, before Nicole would complain about being bored or not understanding any of it. Then, they'd end up just sitting around talking. Most of the time, it was Waverly talking about herself or her friends. She never pressured Nicole to talk about anything she didn't want to talk about. Even if she desperately wanted to know more about the Nicole that nobody else got to see.

 

"Let's play a game." Nicole prompted.

 

Waverly gave her a look. "What kind of game?"

 

Nicole put her pen down on the book in her lap. Waverly had given her questions to answer that were supposed to be easy. _Of course they'd be easy for you._ Nicole thought. The redhead spent most of her time just doodling on the paper, even after Waverly complained.

 

Waverly closed the book she'd been reading and focused her attention on Nicole.

 

"If I answer one of these insane problems correctly, I get to ask you any question and you have to answer it truthfully."

 

"How will you know if I'm lying or not?"

 

Nicole shrugged her shoulders. "I trust you enough not to."

 

Waverly weighed her options for a minute. There wasn't really anything she was uncomfortable answering. She was basically an open book anyway.

 

"I'm only agreeing to this because it's getting you to actually do the work I give you."

 

Nicole smiled. She turned her focus to the paper in front of her and quickly started writing down answers. In less than five minutes she was handing the paper over to Waverly for her to look at. The shocked expression that took over the girls face made Nicole chuckle.

 

"How'd you do these so fast? We've been working on this for weeks and you didn't understand any of it."

 

"I pay attention when you talk."

 

"Well you could've told me that sooner and we would be done with this whole lesson by now."

 

"How many questions was that again?"

 

Waverly shook her head. "That's unfair. I didn't know you knew all of this already."

 

"But you already agreed to it." Nicole gave her puppy dog eyes and of course Waverly gave in.

 

"Fifteen." She said defeated.

 

Nicole smiled and tapped her finger on her chin. "Hmm."

 

"Oh, spit it out." Waverly rolled her eyes.

 

She repositioned herself on the cough, facing Waverly completely now.

 

"Have you ever kissed a girl."

 

Waverly was regretting that moment to decide she needed a drink of water. She started coughing, trying to catch her breath. Taking a few minutes to recover.

 

"Is this a proposition?" She asked sarcastically.

 

"If you want it to be."

 

"No, I haven't kissed a girl." She answered truthfully. "Unless you count whatever that was when we first met."

 

Nicole nodded her head. "Interesting."

 

"What?"

 

"So, I was technically your first girl kiss."

 

The brunette scoffed. "I'd hardly call that a kiss."

 

"Oh really?"

 

"Yes, really." She played into Nicole's game. "I've had better kisses with Champ."

 

Nicole gasped and put her hand over her heart. "That was brutal, Waverly Earp. Brutal."

 

"That was technically two questions." She pointed out.

 

"That's not fair, but fine." She took a drink of water. "Have you ever thought about kissing a girl?"

 

_I've thought about kissing you._ She thought.

 

Waverly gave her a suspicious look. "What are you getting at?"

 

"I ask the questions, you answer."

 

Waverly sighed. "I have."

 

"And you're straight?"

 

Waverly internally cursed the unexplainable feeling she got in her stomach. "I- I never said that." She cleared her throat. "Can I ask you a question?"

 

"That's not the game."

 

Maybe Waverly noticed Nicole's eyes flicker from hers to her lips but she didn't say anything and definitely wasn't going to act on it.

 

"Why are you so closed off? You have so many walls and every time I think I'm getting close to tearing one down, you prove I'm not."

 

Nicole smirked. "If I say you only get one question, is that the question you're going to stick with?"

 

"You just proved my point." Waverly smiled sadly. Sensing the need for a subject change, "When did you first realize you like girls?"

 

"When I almost had sex with a guy. Why?" She asked. "Did you have some kind of epiphany recently?"

 

Waverly shook her head. "No, I was just curious."

 

"I thought you said you'd answer truthfully."

 

"That was the truth." Technically, she wasn't lying. She had been curious about Nicole's coming out but she didn't feel like it was her place to ask.

 

"Uh huh." Nicole took a deep breath. "If you're that curious. I was dating a guy for a while. There were these rumors going around school that I was gay and coming from an extremely homophobic family, that's the last thing you want. So, I tried everything in my power to make sure everyone thought I was straight. It didn't work out though so I eventually just came out and now we're here."

 

"What about your family? Did they take it well?"

 

Nicole laughed. "You did hear the homophobic part, right?"

 

"Yeah but it's different when it's your kid."

 

"I thought so, too. But apparently not."

 

Waverly gave her a sad look. "I'm sorry, Nicole."

 

"Your ability to switch the attention towards me amazes me." Nicole laughed.

 


	8. VIII

When Nicole had texted her and asked if she wanted to go on an adventure, she didn't think they'd be walking through the middle of the woods at almost midnight. But here they are, walking through the woods at almost midnight.

 

Nicole said she wanted to show Waverly something and of course, Waverly jumped at the chance to hangout with her. Whether she had homework to do and classes the next day or not. Less than ten minutes after Waverly said yes, Nicole was picking her up from her dorm and driving them almost a half hour out of town.

 

"You're not kidnapping me, are you? Wynonna already hates you, I don't think you'd be able to get away with it if she found out you took me to the middle of nowhere just to murder me."

 

"I'm not kidnapping nor murdering you." Nicole laughed. "Is it considered kidnapping if you came willingly?"

 

"That's like asking if you steal candy from a baby does it still count as stealing candy."

 

Nicole took her hand and helped her over a log that was laying in the middle of the path. They continued walking, not letting go of each other's hands. At one point, Nicole interlaced their fingers and Waverly was almost positive she was going to pass out from internally panicking so much.

 

"We're almost there." Nicole commented.

 

"Where exactly is 'there'?"

 

"You'll see." She squeezed Waverly's hand.

 

They walked for a couple more minutes before coming to an opening at the edge of the treeline.

 

"I used to come here a lot when I first started college."

 

Nicole was in her third year of pre-med and anytime something was bothering her or got to her too much, she always found herself right on the edge of town.

 

Waverly looked straight ahead and over the cliff they were by. You could see all of Purgatory and more from where they were.

 

"It's beautiful." She whispered.

 

"You said I have walls and you're not wrong. But I have a reason for building those walls " Nicole explained. "My childhood wasn't the greatest and that still effects me some days. It's hard for me to talk about anything without automatically assuming it's going to get used against me."

 

"Why're you telling me this now?"

 

"Because there's something special about you."

 

Waverly smiled at Nicole. "I knew there was a soft side to you."

 

Nicole rolled her eyes playfully and smiled down at her. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."

 

They sat for a while and talked. Nicole went more into her coming out, Waverly almost told her she might like her but she was content on just listening to Nicole talk than to ruin the moment; even if she didn't always talk about herself. Waverly liked the sound of her voice, the way she smiled and her face lit up when she talked about something she liked or made her happy.

 

"Did you hear about Wynonna's new roommate?" Nicole asked.

 

"What about her?"

 

"Wynonna actually kind of likes her."

 

Waverly snorted. "Someone Wynonna doesn't hate? Seems fake."

 

"Yeah, well it's not. But she's adamant on throwing a party just so this girl can make more friends."

 

"Let me guess," Waverly laughed. "You got conned into throwing said party."

 

Nicole nodded her head. "Yup. I still don't know how that happened."

 

"Wynonna can be pretty persistent."

 

"Clearly." Nicole snorted. "You should come."

 

"To the party?"

 

"Well, yeah." She nodded. "I don't see why not."

 

Waverly smiled. "You do realize that every time we're at a party together something happens."

 

"We've only been at a party together twice and one doesn't count since it was just an after party." She pointed out. "Plus, that was your ex boyfriends fault. Not mine."

 

"Point taken."

 

"You can meet Wynonna's roommate and keep me sane."

 

"Why do I feel like that's gonna be harder than it sounds."

 

Nicole got close to Waverly, leaning towards her ear. "You'll have to come to find out." She said before getting up and jogging back into the woods.

 

Waverly took a minute before she stood up, turning towards the direction Nicole ran.

 

"This is unfair! I don't know where I'm going, you can't just leave me!" Waverly shouted.

 

She found the path and started walking down it.

 

"Nicole, this isn't funny." She yelled. "And if I get eaten by a wild animal I'm coming back and haunting you."

 

Nicole took that opportunity to jump from behind a tree towards Waverly. Causing the shorter girl to scream and practically jump five feet in the air.

 

"You're not funny!" Waverly pushed Nicole backwards.

 

The redhead couldn't contain her laughter. Trying to speak between breaths. "No, that was pretty funny actually."

 

She walked towards Waverly and threw an arm over her shoulder, leading her back to the car still laughing.

 

\--------

 

Waverly drove with Chrissy to Nicole's the next day. She was going to go alone at first but Chrissy said something about wanting to come and Waverly could say no to her best friend.

 

"I'll get to see wayhaught in action." Chrissy said excitedly.

 

"Way-what?"

 

"Wayhaught." She stated. "It's you and Nicole's ship name."

 

"Oh my God, please don't say that around her."

 

Waverly pulled up to the address Nicole gave her. This apartment was different than the one off campus. Nicole's family had money and it showed. Calling it an apartment would be rude.

 

"Whoa." Chrissy looked at Waverly, eyes bulging.

 

"Contain your inner fan girl and help me get the stuff out of the back."

 

Nicole had asked Waverly if she could pick up chips and soda since she wouldn't have time to stop anywhere after class. She offered to pay Waverly back but the brunette, of course, said she didn't have to and that it was unnecessary considering it was just a couple things.

 

They entered the building and found Nicole's floor. Getting off the elevator and entering the penthouse.

 

"Okay, why have I never been here?" Waverly asked her once Nicole greeted them both.

 

"Because it's rich and snobby and that's not who I am."

 

"So then why do you own it?" Chrissy blurted out.

 

"Chrissy."

 

"No, it's fine." Nicole laughed. "My father owns the building which means I basically have this for free. He gave it to me as a graduation present. Even though I rarely spend time here, it is great for parties."

 

"High-class parties, yeah." The blonde mumbled.

 

"Will you go, I don't know, look at the view or something." Waverly pushed her towards the opposite direction.

 

"Thank you for helping." Nicole took the bags from Waverly and led her to the kitchen.

 

"It's really no problem." Waverly smiled. "As long as I get alcohol."

 

"Long day?"

 

"You could say that."

 

In all honesty, Waverly just wanted to get drunk. Like genuinely drunk. There had been a lot on her mind recently and sure, there were probably way healthier ways to deal with it. But drinking was the next best thing.

 

She helped Nicole set up the snacks and alcohol. About an hour after they were done, Doc and Dolls showed up.

 

"Wynonna isn't here yet?"

 

"She said something about being fashionably late." Doc informed them.

 

Shortly after that, everyone started arriving. Waverly let Nicole talk to her friends and went off to find Chrissy.

 

"Cute boy alert." Chrissy nodded behind Waverly.

 

"I think the days of you trying to set me up with men are over, Chrissy."

 

The blonde smiled. "Not for you, for me."

 

Waverly grinned and rolled her eyes as Chrissy walked towards the guy.

 

Wynonna chose that time to show up with a dark haired girl that Waverly thought looked a little familiar.

 

"Waves, this is Rosita. Rosita, this is my sister Waverly."

 

Rosita stuck her hand out and Waverly took it. "Hi."

 

"Do I know you? You look a little familiar."

 

Rosita laughed. "I doubt it. I just started going to Calgary."

 

Waverly smiled and nodded. "Well, it's nice meeting you. I hear Wynonna is actually kind of nice to you."

 

"I am not."

 

Rosita leaned in and winked. "She definitely is."

 

Wynonna scoffed. "Why are you here anyway? I didn't know you were invited."

 

"No thanks to you." Waverly's voice filled with sarcasm. "Nicole invited me, I helped her get ready."

 

Wynonna wiggled her eyebrows. "Get ready, huh?"

 

"You're disgusting."

 

"So, are you two like best friends now?"

 

Waverly shrugged. "I wouldn't say best friends."

 

"You're not banging yet, right? You said you'd tell me."

 

Rosita looked between the two, confused.

 

"No, Wynonna. Gross."

 

Wynonna smiled sheepishly.

 

"I'm gonna go introduce Rosita to everyone. Hopefully, she'll make a friend and get out of my hair."

 

"Oh, please. You know you like me." Rosita teased. "It was nice meeting you, Waverly."

 

Waverly mumbled out a "you too." and headed off to find Nicole. She saw Nicole talking to a couple of girls from her team and stood a little bit away, not wanting to interrupt whatever conversation was happening at the the moment. She internally chastised herself when she watched Wynonna introduce Rosita and Nicole practically undressed the dark haired girl with her eyes.

 

"I definitely need a drink." She mumbled to herself.

 

She brushed through the crowd of people and into the kitchen, quickly finding what she was looking for and pouring herself a shot. Jealous was one thing Waverly wasn't, she prided herself on it. _Maybe it's different with Nicole._

 

"You're drinking alone?"

 

Waverly jumped and turned around.

 

"I- yeah." She stuttered. "Chrissy is currently trying to get the name and number of some guy and you seemed like you were busy with Rosita, so."

 

Nicole smirked. "And Wynonna." She added.

 

"Right."

 

The butterflies that fluttered in Waverly's stomach when Nicole stepped closer were unwelcomed.

 

_Cool it dumbass._ She thought.

 

"Do I sense," Nicole took another step. "jealousy?"

 

Waverly snorted. "What? No. I don't get jealous and definitely not over you."

 

Nicole nodded. "Uh huh." An amused look plastered across her face.

 

"I don't."

 

"Waverly Earp, jealous?" Nicole smiled. "That's new."

 

Nicole moved closer, extending both arms to either side of Waverly. Resting her hands on the counter.

 

If she noticed Waverly's eyes glance to her lips, she didn't say anything.

 

Instead, Nicole leaned in, stopping just before their lips connected.

 

"Seriously, Nicole. This place is amazing." Chrissy walked into the kitchen.

 

If looks could kill, Waverly would be in prison.

 

"Oh, no. I just interrupted something, didn't I?" Chrissy cringed.

 

"Nope." Nicole backed away from Waverly and smiled at the blonde. "Have you been upstairs?"

 

Chrissy gave a sorry look to Waverly.

 

Nicole and Chrissy continued talking about the space. Everything from the marble counters to spiral stairs. Waverly walked back out into the living area.

 

She looked across the room at Rosita and Wynonna talking. She studied Rosita, trying to wrack her brain figuring out who she reminded her of. Then it clicked.

 

"No way." She whispered.

 

\-------

 

Wynonna approached Waverly in a corner of the room.

 

"You look lonely. You okay, baby girl?"

 

Waverly nodded. "I'm just thinking."

 

"Thinking about?"

 

"Pretty sure your roommate slept, or almost slept, with my ex boyfriend."


	9. IX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in news of wearp maybe getting cancelled, I was gonna change this chapter to something slightly less angsty but I already have the chapters written so instead, like always, here's two more chapters bc I feel like we all need it?

Waverly, Wynonna and Nicole we're currently sat in a booth at Shorty's waiting for everyone else to arrive. When Wynonna found out that Waverly and her friends were going to be meeting for lunch at the same place her and her friends were, she came up with the bright idea to just make it a group thing. Waverly thought it was a good idea at the time but now that it was actually happening, she realized how much of a good idea it was not.

 

Her friends and Wynonna's friends were two completely different personality types. It wasn't until everyone started showing up and actually talking that Waverly was mistaken. They all actually got along for once.

 

"This is Robin, my boyfriend." Jeremy introduced him.

 

Wynonna made a joke about the two of them finally growing a pair.

 

"I knew something was going on between you two." Nicole commented.

 

Waverly smiled as everyone engaged in conversation, a few moments of friendly banter going around the group. Of course, Chrissy and Nicole got along great. If Waverly didn't know for a fact that Chrissy was straight, she'd think she had more of a crush on the redhead than she did.

 

"Are you sure?" Wynonna asked Waverly.

 

"Yes, Wynonna." Waverly rolled her eyes. "It's pretty hard to forget that face."

 

"Sure about what?" Nicole looked between the two.

 

"Wynonna's roommate slept with Champ." Dolls stated.

 

Waverly gave Wynonna an annoyed look. "You told him?"

 

"Whoa, wait." Nicole butt in. "The night of the afterparty?"

 

"Apparently." Wynonna mumbled. "And I couldn't help it, he pressured it out of me."

 

"I did not. You literally walked into my room and told me."

 

"Wynonna." Waverly warned.

 

Waverly and Wynonna talked more after the youngest Earp informed her of this new found information. Wynonna almost didn't believe it at first but eventually she put two and two together. Saying something about Rosita telling her about sleeping with some frat boy at a party her first day here.

 

"I'm sorry, okay. It's just a lot to take in." Wynonna sported a disgusted look. "I thought she'd have better taste."

 

"Obviously not." Nicole ate a french fry. Not missing the look that Waverly gave her. "Sorry. I'm sure you have great taste outside of him."

 

"Debatable."

 

Waverly kicked Wynonna under the table, causing her to yelp.

 

"So, what are you gonna do?" Jeremy asked.

 

"She's not gonna do anything because it's not her place." Waverly commented before Wynonna had time to speak. "Besides, Rosita said it was her first party here. She's new, she probably didn't even know. It's not like it matters anymore anyway, I'm done with Champ and I could care less who he's out boning."

 

The group groaned in disgust.

 

"I did not need that picture in my head." Nicole commented.

 

\--------

 

"I don't see why you can't go alone. You'll be in public." Chrissy held the door to the library open for Waverly.

 

"Because even in public, we're alone and I don't trust myself or her."

 

It's not that Waverly didn't technically trust Nicole. They almost kissed and even though she wanted it to happen just as much as the next person, she still had her guard up. Since day one she's never looked at the redhead like everyone else did. But it was different when feelings were involved; feelings that she still didn't quite understand.

 

"I hope you don't mind that I kind of switched up on you last minute." Waverly told Nicole as she sat down across from her. "And I also brought Chrissy."

 

"It's totally fine. Maybe we needed a change of scenery." Nicole laughed. "Are you here for Chemistry, too?" She turned to Chrissy.

 

"No, I'm here because Wav-" She stopped when Waverly gave her a look. "I need to do homework in a somewhat quieter place than my dorm."

 

All three of them fell into a comfortable silence. Waverly helping Nicole with her homework, answering whatever questions she had from time to time. There wasn't jokes or innuendos coming out of Nicole's mouth like before. It was strictly just studying. Waverly was a little relieved but also slightly suspicious. It was unlike the redhead to not complain about not wanting to study and it was very unusual that she wasn't casually flirting with Waverly every five minutes.

 

She brushed it off though. Figuring it might've been different because Chrissy was here. The feeling of disappointment didn't disappear, though. No matter how much she tried pushing it down and out of the way.

 

After an hour and a half, they were finished and packing up their things. Nicole said her goodbyes to the two girls before they went their separate ways.

 

"Am I the only one that felt awkward?" Chrissy asked.

 

"Does it seem like she's acting different?"

 

"I'm not around her as much as you are but yeah."

 

"I'm gonna return these books and then I'll meet you outside?"

 

Chrissy nodded and made her way towards the exit. Waverly turned her books in at the front desk, deciding she'd grab something else to read since she was already here.

 

She walked down a few aisles searching for something that would catch her eye. She wasn't expecting that something to be a someone making out with another someone that she was all too familiar with.

 

Waverly didn't even pause before she turned around and walked out of the library. Whatever book she was looking for long forgotten. She met Chrissy at her Jeep and quickly got in, starting the engine and pulling out of the parking lot.

 

"Okay, what's wrong?" Chrissy finally asked. "We've been driving for twenty minutes and you haven't said one word to me."

 

Waverly pushed down the hurt and disappointment that she was currently feeling.

 

"She's her own person and she has every right to kiss whoever she wants." Waverly kept her eyes on the road, her grip on the steering wheel tightening.

 

"What?"

 

"Nicole."

 

"Was kissing a girl?" Chrissy almost laughed. "Waverly, that's literally who she is."

 

"I know."

 

"Have you even told her you like her?"

 

"No because I don't."

 

It was a lie but it made her feel a little better.

 

"Yeah, okay." Chrissy snorted. "Jealous Waverly is kind of cute. I can't believe I've never seen this side of you before."

 

"I'm not jealous. I'm annoyed." Waverly sighed. "I almost, for two seconds, believed she was different than everyone said she was."

 

"Waves," Chrissy started. "She's different with you and only you. What happened between now and before?"

 

Waverly shrugged. "I don't know?"

 

"Could it be the fact that you almost kissed."

 

"I don't see how that would have anything to do with anything. She kisses girls all the time."

 

Chrissy sighed. "For someone so smart, you really are a dumbass. She likes you, Waverly. Nicole Haught has feelings for you and this is probably just as confusing for her as it is for you."

 

"Oh yeah, going and making out with some random girl in a library is definitely gonna help her figure it out."

 

\--------

 

The basketball game started and ended just as it always did except this time they lost. The team they were playing against was good, too good. So no one was that surprised when Calgary lost. Waverly didn't want to stick around though. Not necessarily wanting to act like she was okay around Nicole.

 

She thought she could grab her things and leave before she ran into the redhead, so when Nicole completely skipped going into the locker room with the rest of her team and instead made an appearance right in front of Waverly she literally couldn't think of anything to say.

 

"Okay, you've been acting weird." Nicole stated.

 

"Have I?"

 

"You have." Nicole reached into her bag and pulled out a small plastic card. "Also, I think you dropped this in the library the other day."

 

Any air that was in Waverly's lungs quickly left. She reached out and slowly took the library card.

 

"It wasn't at the table, was it?"

 

Nicole smiled tight lipped. "Right there in the middle of the aisle."

 

"I wasn't spying on you, I swear. I was just looking for a book and then stumbled upon whatever was going on and-"

 

Nicole laughed. "You don't have to explain yourself, Waverly. But if that's why you've been acting weird lately then I think we should talk about it."

 

"I don't think we have to." She wasn't going to be the one to ask Nicole to be someone she's not.

 

"Well, when you decide we need to let me know."

 

"Maybe." Waverly stopped and took a breath. "Maybe just friends?"

 

Nicole scoffed. "Yeah. Sure, Waverly. Whatever you want."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't really plan an ending to this chapter either so I just went with the line from the show because why not. let me know what you think (:


	10. X

Waverly was young when her dad died but that doesn't mean it hurt any less. She couldn't remember most of it. All she really remembered was Gus coming into her room and telling her that Ward got hurt at work and he was currently in the hospital. She didn't remember getting the news from the doctors and Wynonna crying and pushing everyone away from her except Waverly.

 

Normally, on the anniversary of her dad's death she'd stay in her room alone and watch old movies. It would make her feel better and distract her enough to not worry about what kind of trouble Wynonna is getting into. Sometimes she could find her sister before she got too drunk and ended up passing out in her room and they'd go to their fathers grave and just sit there and talk for a while.

 

So, when Nicole offered to come over with food and do whatever would make Waverly feel better, she almost said no. But it was Nicole and despite Waverly deciding they should just be friends, she couldn't say no to her. Even if it got in the way of every plan she'd made for the day.

 

She briefly mentioned to Nicole that this day was coming up one night when they were studying and the redhead was pretty persistent on being there for her.

 

And that's how they got here; eating vegan ice cream in Waverly's dorm while Nicole did her best to make her laugh.

 

"If you wanna tell me about him, you can." Nicole suggested. "I don't know how much it'll help, but that's what they do in the movies."

 

Waverly smiled. "I wouldn't know where to start."

 

"Anywhere you want."

 

The smaller girl took a moment to breathe and take it all in. She hardly ever talks about her feelings towards this particular subject, she doesn't really have anyone that she _can_ talk to.

 

"I don't remember him dying." Waverly said. She adverted her eyes to her hands, twisting the ring she was wearing around her finger. "I just remember talking to him and him not talking back. I didn't understand why at the time but as I got older it eventually made sense." She paused for a moment, holding back the tears willing to fall. "I don't remember when they told us he was gone. I remember everything after that though. That's when everything went south. Wynonna started acting out in school, skipping and getting into fights. It felt like I was alone because I didn't take it like she did, I didn't draw attention to myself. Gus was too focused on making sure Wynonna was okay to even worry about me. She apologizes for it now and I don't hold any grudges but I was so young, I didn't understand why everything in my life had suddenly just shifted."

 

Nicole grabbed Waverly's and intertwined their fingers. Waverly smiled at her, wiping the silent tears that she couldn't push down any longer.

 

"Where's Wynonna now?" She asked softly.

 

Waverly glanced at the clock. "Probably shitfaced by now."

 

"Well, that's certainly unhealthy."

 

Waverly gave out a small laugh. "I think everything she does at this point is unhealthy."

 

Nicole sat up and wrapped her arms around the brunette, pulling her as close as she could. "I think it's good that you're talking about it instead of closing yourself off."

 

"Thank you." Waverly whispered. "For everything."

 

"I hardly did anything."

 

"You're here. That's more than enough."

 

And if Waverly hadn't said she wanted to just be friends, Nicole probably would've kissed her. But she didn't. Instead, she settled for just wiping the tears from Waverly's cheeks and comforting her as much as she could. She can't even imagine what Waverly's been through. Considering it all, she had a pretty okay life. She wished with everything in her that she could take every inch of pain away from the younger girl.

 

"I wish I could help more."

 

Waverly smiled sheepishly, sporting her best pair of puppy dog eyes. "You can let me drive your car."

 

She had made jokes before about how she wanted to drive Nicole's Camaro but much to her dismay, it always ended with 'no'.

 

Nicole gave Waverly an amused look. "You're really trying, aren't you?"

 

Waverly nodded, sticking out her bottom lip.

 

"Fine." She sighed. "But you're not going a mile over the speed limit and we're driving on the back roads."

 

Waverly smiled and quickly jumped up off of her bed, grabbing a hoodie from her closet and waiting for Nicole. The upperclassman laughed and stood up, slowly grabbing her things.

 

"Hurry up." Waverly grabbed her hand and practically dragged her out of the room.

 

"Easy there, boy." Nicole joked.

 

\--------

 

Wynonna downed her sixth shot of Whiskey that day.

 

"You're cut off, Earp. There no way I'm serving you another shot." Rosita took the shot glass off of the counter.

 

"Then give me a beer." She tried.

 

Rosita shook her head. "Nuh uh."

 

"Rosita, you do realize I practically grew up in this bar. If I wanted to I could get it myself."

 

Wynonna got Rosita a job at Shorty's as a favor. She'd been complaining about not having enough money and Wynonna thought it was the perfect chance to get her out of the dorm. They got along great, like they've been friends forever and Wynonna hated it. The only person she got along with that well that wasn't Waverly was Dolls and that was hard enough to deal with.

 

"You're gonna have to go through me first."

 

Wynonna gave her an unamused look. "Listen, it's going to be a really long year for you if you don't just do what I say and give me a damn beer."

 

"Give her the alcohol, Rosita. If she gets too drunk, help her upstairs and make sure she doesn't choke on her own puke." Gus said.

 

Rosita nodded as Wynonna smiled.

 

"Wanna tell me what that's about?" She handed Wynonna a bottle.

 

"Not really but I have a feeling you're not gonna let me just get drunk without explaining."

 

Rosita shook her head and smiled.

 

"My dad died fifteen years ago today." She stated bluntly. "Every year on this day I get half past fucked up in hopes I'll forget that it happened. It's a great coping mechanism."

 

Rosita gave her a sad look. "Wynonna-"

 

"You don't have to give me some speech about it not being healthy and I should open up and talk about it. I've already heard it from numerous people in the past. Just do your job and serve me liquor."

 

"I'll give you beer and that's as strong as you're going."

 

\--------

 

Nicole was thoroughly surprised when Waverly actually followed the rules she listed about driving her car. Minus having to drive on one main road to get to where they were going.

 

They arrived at the cemetery and Nicole gave Waverly a questioning look. "I can stay in the car."

 

"Or you can come with me."

 

Nicole nodded and got out, making sure Waverly locked the doors. It was doubtful that anyone would steal her car where they were at; but she cared more about it than anything else so she took every precaution possible.

 

She followed Waverly to her dad's grave, standing a few feet back to give her some privacy.

 

Waverly glanced back and smiled at Nicole before crouching down in front of the gravestone that's been a part of her life for the past fifteen years or so.

 

"Hey." She started softly. "It's me, Waverly. I guess you can see that." She laughed. "Wynonna isn't here this year. She'll probably stop by later, maybe. I brought a friend. I think you'd really like her." She looked back at Nicole. "I know a lot of people think she's a bad person, but I swear she's a really good friend to me. I miss you so much. I wish we had more time. I wish you would've been here to see me go to college. I know Wynonna misses you too, even if she has a funny way of showing it. She's actually making friends now. She says she's not, but she is and they make her happy; I can see it."

 

She took a few seconds to let the tears fall from her eyes before taking a deep breath and letting it out.

 

"It's been so different without you. I love you so much."

 

After a couple minutes, she stood up and wiped her tears. Nicole handed her the flowers that they picked up on the way. She laid them down in front of his gravestone. Waverly said a silent prayer and turned to Nicole.

 

"Thank you, again."

 

Nicole opened her arms and Waverly gladly walked into them, wrapping her arms around the taller woman. They stood there for a while, not talking just hugging. It made Waverly feel safe; wanted and validated.

 

For the longest time she told herself she had no reason to grieve her dad. She barely had any memories of him since she was so young when he passed. But after a while, she realized she had just as much a right as anyone else who knew him. Those memories, no matter how many there were, they were still her memories of him and he was still her dad. She was allowed to miss him and wish for him whenever something went right or wrong.

 

\--------

 

Rosita made sure she kept an eye on Wynonna. She knew how hard it was losing a parent and she couldn't help but care about how Wynonna was feeling and dealing with it.

 

"Give me another beer." Wynonna walked up and leaned over the counter towards Rosita.

 

"How about water?" She pushed a cup towards her.

 

"How about no?"

 

Wynonna gave her the best puppy dog eyes she could manage at this state and of course, Rosita gave in. There was something about her that Rosita liked. Despite the badass, closed off attitude that she gave everyone; deep down she was soft and she cared for more people than she'd like to admit.

 

"How about I'll give you a beer if you at least tell me how you're feeling." She reasoned.

 

Wynonna put on a fake thinking face, pursing her lips and leaning her head to the side. "I'm feeling unusually sober and I'd like to not be sober. Now, pay up."

 

Rosita sighed and handed her a beer. "I'm thinking it through next time, Earp."

 

"Yeah, yeah."

 

\--------

 

"I thought I was in good shape but these stairs are seriously taking a toll, can we sit down?" Nicole pulled Waverly's hand, out of breath from walking up numerous flights of stairs.

 

"We're almost there. Besides, I'm sure you do more walking than this when you condition for basketball."

 

"On flat ground, sure. But we've walked up seven flights of stairs, Waverly. I didn't even know this building had so many floors."

 

"It only has twelve and we're almost there, I swear."

 

Reluctantly, Nicole continued climbing the steps when Waverly tugged on her hand. They climbed two more flights and came to a door with the words " **Roof Access** " printed on it.

 

Waverly pushed the door open and pulled Nicole outside into the fall air. The redhead looked around, taking in the amount of chairs and tables that were sitting around.

 

"Some people have parties up here. I never went to any because I think they're dangerous. Why get drunk on a roof and risk stumbling off of it, what's the fun in that."

 

"And you come here for?"

 

Waverly let go of Nicole's hand, she'd be lying if she said she didn't instantly miss the contact. She watched as Waverly moved closer to the edge, but far enough back that she was safe.

 

"Sometimes when I miss my dad I come up here and stand just close enough to the edge that I won't fall off and just stand here. When the wind starts blowing I imagine that's what he feels like in heaven. Like he's always flying and looking over us. Like an angel." She said softly.

 

Nicole smiled and stepped next to Waverly. She felt the wind blow around them and chose that time to look at the shorter woman. She smiled at Nicole with bright eyes.

 

"I see the appeal."

 

Waverly laughed.

 

"I know it seems kind of stupid but it has helped me deal with a lot."

 

"I don't think it's stupid."

 

"I've always come up here alone, even Wynonna doesn't know about it." She said lowly.

 

"Why not?"

 

Waverly shrugged. "When my dad first died everyone was so focused on her, with good reason. But that meant I had no one. After a while, I got used to being alone. For the longest time I felt like I didn't have a reason to be sad because it didn't affect me in the same way it did other people."

 

"Everyone grieves in different ways, Waves."

 

"I know that now." She laughed. "It just seems like everyone expects me to be different, you know? Like I can't make my own decisions ever. It's always been that way."

 

Nicole grabbed Waverly's hand and gently squeezed. "I'd never ask you to be someone you're not."

 

"One of the many things I like about you." She laughed.

 

Nicole quirked an eyebrow and smirked.

 

"What?"

 

"Was that you admitting you like me?"

 

It was purely a joke. So when Waverly shrugged and mumbled a small "maybe" Nicole almost thought she was imagining it. But the look that the small girl was giving her couldn't be her imagination.

 

"Waverly." She warned softly.

 

It definitely couldn't be her imagination when Waverly leaned in and softly brushed their lips together.

 

Nicole let go of Waverly's hand, the brunette pulling away.

 

"I'm sorry." She said quickly. "I probably shouldn't have done that."

 

"Oh my God." Nicole groaned.

 

She grabbed Waverly's waist and pulled her back in, connecting their lips gently.

 

And this time, neither one of them pulled away until they couldn't breathe anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I /had/ to make this a cliffhanger, I'm not sorry.


	11. XI

Waverly handed Wynonna a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin.

 

"Thanks." Wynonna took them without opening her eyes.

 

"Rosita said it was pretty bad."

 

"I'd agree, except I can't remember half of it."

 

"Judging from your hangover, she's right." Waverly smiled sympathetically.

 

"Did you visit him?" Wynonna sat up on the couch.

 

She wasn't sure how she got back to the homestead but she was almost positive she had Rosita to thank for not sticking her in the apartment upstairs above the bar. The amount of people that have been up there doing god only knows what was unbelievable.

 

"Yeah. Nicole and I went."

 

"You took Nicole?" Wynonna opened her eyes for that. "Damn, you've got it bad."

 

"Shut up. She was with me at the time and she even let me drive her fancy, super fast car. Even though I couldn't go over 45 without her giving me the third degree."

 

"I take it back. _She's_ got it bad."

 

Waverly smiled and thought back to the night before. They stayed on the roof for a while, involuntarily pulling away from each other. They talked more. Mostly about Waverly's dad. They'd get off topic and go right back to kissing before one or the other stopped and pulled away.

 

"Why are you blushing?" Wynonna stared at her sister. "What's with the dopey grin on your face. Spill."

 

Waverly shook her head and puffed her cheeks. "Nothing to spill."

 

"Waverly Earp. I'm suffering from a major hsngover-"

 

"Not my fault." She pointed out.

 

"-and I could really use a change of topic right now. Pleasseeee." Wynonna pleaded.

 

"There's really nothing to tell you. We just hung out and ate food."

 

"The same way Doc and I just hung out?" Wynonna quirked an eyebrow.

 

"Ew, no. Stop." Waverly covered her ears with her hands. "Get ready for practice please. We're gonna be late."

 

\--------

 

"Well, is she a good kisser?"

 

Waverly laughed. "What's that phrase? A lady doesn't kiss and tell?"

 

"You've told enough just by the look on your face, Waves." Chrissy laughed. "Are you guys like, official?"

 

Waverly shook her head. "No. I don't know if she even wants to be."

 

"And you?"

 

"Do."

 

The blonde sighed. "Seriously, Waverly. You should learn to talk about your feelings with the person you have said feelings for. I'm starving over here."

 

They were sitting on the gym floor by the bleachers waiting for the basketball players to get done practicing. Normally, they'd be done around the same time but their coach said something about them slacking during their last game and made them go for an extra thirty minutes. Waverly stayed because of Wynonna and Chrissy stayed to keep her company. There were a few people spread out across the bleachers. It wasn't uncommon for people to come in the gym while practice was taking place. A lot of the men came to see if the girls were better than them, the cheerleaders always joked about fragile masculinity. Sometimes the coaches would let them join, saying the girls needed a change of opponents.

 

"Then find someone who actually has their shit together and eat." Waverly joked.

 

Chrissy nodded her head towards the court. "Who's that?"

 

Waverly turned her head, following her friends line of vision to see Nicole talking with a girl she recognized from some of the games.

 

"I don't know. I've seen her around but we've never come in contact."

 

"Well obviously they have."

 

Waverly elbowed her best friend.

 

"Sorry." She mumbled.

 

"It doesn't matter who she is, Nicole and I aren't together."

 

"Then wipe the jealous look off your face and stop staring."

 

Waverly watched as the girl laughed and rested her hand on Nicole's arm. Nicole giving her a bright smile back.

 

"Hey, nerds. You ready to go?" Wynonna looked down at them.

 

"I am but Waverly's currently fighting with herself on whether or not she should pull Nicole away from that girl." Chrissy pointed towards the two women.

 

"Shae?" Wynonna looked shocked to see who Nicole was talking to.

 

"Who is Shae?" Both Waverly and Chrissy stood up.

 

"Nicole's ex-something." Wynonna explained. "They had a kind of thing going for a while but broke it off. No one ever really knew why."

 

Chrissy shot daggers at Wynonna with her eyes.

 

"What?"

 

"You could've stretched the truth a bit, dumbass."

 

"Why?" Wynonna shrugged. "It's clear they had something, look at them."

 

Waverly groaned, picked up her bag and brushed past her sister and friend.

 

"Wayhaught is sort of in action, or on the line of being in action."

 

"Way-huh?" Then it clicked in the girls head. "No way!"

 

"Yeah way and you just paused it." Chrissy grabbed Wynonna's arm and pulled her out of the gym.

 

\--------

 

"We should go on a trip for break." Jeremy suggested.

 

Everyone was together once again. It started becoming a thing, both groups hanging out. Waverly was sat on the opposite side of the booth from Nicole. She couldn't get over watching her with Shae.

 

"Thanksgiving break isn't that long, Jeremy. We'd be away for like three days."

 

"No, that's great. We can have dinner with our families and then leave that night. Assuming Wynonna doesn't get drunk off her ass." Chrissy joked.

 

"I won't if we're planning a trip."

 

Waverly zoned out when she felt her phone vibrate from her hoodie pocket. She glanced around at her friends, the only people who could be texting her were sat at this table but they all looked engrossed in conversation.

 

She pulled her phone out discreetly and opened the message. She looked up at the redhead. Nicole was teasing Wynonna about bringing Rosita along on their little trip, completely in tune with the conversation.

 

Nicole (4:12pm): are you okay?

 

Waverly (4:15pm): yes why?

 

She watched as Nicole pulled her phone out, still engaging in whatever conversation was happening while also texting Waverly back.

 

Nicole (4:16pm): we kinda haven't talked since the other day and when we have it's been weird. i didn't do something did i?

 

Waverly (4:17pm): no you didn't.

 

She wasn't going to overanalyze anything that was going on. It wasn't her place to be jealous of Shae or even mention it since Nicole has never told her about the girl before. She didn't want to sound like that crazy girlfriend. _You're not even her girlfriend dumbass, stop trying to jump the gun._

 

Nicole (4:20pm): i think someone has a crush

 

Waverly quirked an eyebrow and looked at the older girl.

 

Waverly (4:22pm): i thought we already established this?

 

Nicole (4:23pm): not you, dummy. your sister.

 

Waverly tuned back into the conversation happening around the table. Wynonna was talking about Rosita while everyone else gave her an amused look.

 

"-and her stupid pretty face, her stupid pretty hair, her stupid laugh. We're not inviting her."

 

"I think we should." Waverly said.

 

"You haven't been a part of this conversation the entire time. Go back to texting Nicole." Wynonna rolled her eyes.

 

Waverly's jaw dropped and Nicole laughed.

 

"Our conversation is over, Earp. Invite your little girl crush or I'll do it for you." Nicole laughed.

 

"Where is this trip happening?" Waverly asked.

 

"If you were paying attention, you'd know we're going to Nicole beach house."

 

"Yes because apparently, no one else has anywhere we can go on such short notice."

 

"No one else has money like you either, _Haught-shot._ " Chrissy joked.

 

\--------

 

Nicole passed the ball to Wynonna, stopping in the middle of the court and watching as Wynonna carefully shot the winning shot. Earning them three points right as the buzzer went off.

 

All of the players ran up to Wynonna, hugging her and praising her for her work. The crowd cheered and Nicole scanned the edge of the court for Waverly. Their eyes connected and they both smiled at each other.

 

"Good job, Earp."

 

"You could've let me in on that play." Wynonna said.

 

"There's scouts in the audience. You shooting that shot and not knowing the plays might've just gotten you drafted."

 

Wynonna gave her a shocked expression.

 

"What?"

 

She turned to the bleachers and caught sight of the three men in suits writing stuff down in the binders they had in hand.

 

"Why?"

 

"Why what?" Nicole asked.

 

"You could've made that shot from half court and got drafted right away. Why'd you pass it?"

 

Nicole shrugged. "I don't think being a famous basketball player is what I want in life. Plus, you're really good at the game and the coaches have underestimated you every year. You deserved this one."

 

She lightly tapped Wynonna's arm and walked off the court towards Waverly. Instantly wrapping her arms around the cheerleaders waist.

 

"You did great." Waverly pulled away, not letting go of Nicole.

 

"Thank you." She smiled.

 

"Nicole."

 

They both turned to see Shae standing a couple inches away. Waverly instantly detached herself from the redhead, something Nicole noticed.

 

"Good job." She hugged Nicole quickly and turned to Waverly. "I'm Shae, I take it you're Nicole's new girl thing?"

 

"Her what?" Waverly furrowed her eyebrows.

 

"Waverly's not my girlfriend." Nicole rolled her eyes. "Thanks for stopping by Shae but we should really get going." She motioned between her a Waverly.

 

Waverly pushed down the disappointment she felt at Nicole's words. She technically wasn't lying, they never talked about anything; especially not what they are and what exactly that kiss means. But Nicole quickly brushed off the comment of Waverly being her girlfriend and she'd be lying if she said it didn't hurt.

 

"Actually, I think I'll go find my sister and congratulate her on her winning shot." Waverly smiled tight lipped at the both of them. "I'll let you two catch up."

 

"Waves-"

 

Waverly quickly walked towards the girls locker room, seeking out her sister.

 

"Are you almost done chit chatting? I'd like to leave." Waverly stated bluntly.

 

"I thought you were hanging out with Nicole?"

 

"She's a bit preoccupied catching up with someone."

 

Waverly waited as Wynonna got dressed and grabbed her things. Just like any other day, they took Wynonna's truck. Except this time they weren't headed towards campus. It was the last game before Thanksgiving break, which meant they had the weekend and a few extra days off. Everyone decided on leaving Sunday for the trip and coming back the morning that classes start since most of their classes were in afternoon.

 

"So, I heard Wayhaught is a thing now."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes. "Not you, too."

 

"Chrissy said it, it kinda stuck." Wynonna chuckled. "So... Is it?"

 

"Nope."

 

"You guys did kiss though?"

 

Waverly stared out the window, watching the city turn to miles and miles of deep woods.

 

"We did but it's like it doesn't matter to her."

 

"It's the Shae thing, isn't it? I saw them talking and I swear to God, Waverly. Say the word and I'll-"

 

"Do nothing because I can handle whatever is happening." Waverly stopped her sister.

 

"You really should stop pushing your feelings aside for other people's happiness."

 

\--------

 

The next day, the two girls helped Gus cook dinner. It wasn't much since it was only just the three of them. Sometimes Chrissy and her dad would stop over for a little bit to talk but Gus didn't mention anything about them so Waverly just assumed they weren't coming.

 

Gus and Wynonna tended to a small turkey and Waverly set up all of the meals that didn't include meat or anything animal.

 

"So, how's classes going for you two?"

 

"They're good. Wynonna scored the winning shot in last night's game." Waverly said proudly.

 

Wynonna gave her sister an 'are you serious!?' look.

 

"Really? Why didn't I hear about this?"

 

"It's not important."

 

"What? Yes, it is. There were scou-"

 

"Waverly has a crush on a g-"

 

"Good person." Waverly cut her off. "I have a crush on a really good person."

 

Wynonna gave her sister an amused look causing Waverly to flick her off when Gus turned her back.

 

"Are you two feeling well? You're acting a little weird."

 

\------

 

Wynonna sat down on her bed, looking around the room at her childhood. There was still a lot of things not packed up in boxes. Stuffed animals, old drawings, anything that didn't get packed away and shoved in the closet once her father died.

 

It was a hard day for Wynonna when that happened. She came home and grabbed everything that ever reminded her of her dad, stuck it in a box and pushed it as far back into the closet as she could. She was only ten and for some reason, she felt the need to take her feelings out on other things than just confronting them head on. Something that stuck with her throughout the years.

 

She walked over to the closet, opening it and finding the medium sized box. She pulled it out and sat it on her bed.

 

She breathed before opening it up and pulling out the contents inside. She sat down on the edge of the bed, studying the picture frame. It was a picture of her sitting in her dad's lap, in her arms was a tiny baby wrapped up in a white blanket.

 

Wynonna remembered that day like it was yesterday. When her parents announced that she'd have a little sister in just a few months she was ecstatic. She'd finally have someone she could play with. Someone she could tell all of her secrets to but most importantly, she'd have a best friend.

 

She breathed out a laugh at the smile that was on her five year old face. She was so happy that day. A kind of happiness that she hasn't felt in such a long time it almost seemed unattainable.

 

Wynonna looked up when she heard someone walk into the room.

 

"I haven't seen you look through that box in years." Gus commented softly.

 

Wynonna laughed sadly, wiping the tears at the edge of her eyes. "I figured it was long overdue."

 

The older woman sat down next to her, rubbing her back gently. She stared at the photo in Wynonna's hands, smiling sadly.

 

"How's she really doing?"

 

Wynonna smiled. "She's doing good, I think. Better than I am."

 

"This crush she has." Gus started. "It's Nicole, isn't it?"

 

The brunette gave her a shocked expression. "How'd you-"

 

"I saw the way they looked at each other while they were at Shorty's the night everything happened." Gus laughed. "She finally picked a good one, huh?"

 

Wynonna snorted. "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

 

"I've heard about her reputation." Gus nodded. "But she's different around Waverly. Anyone with eyes can see that."

 

"Now if Waverly would just realize that, it would be a miracle." Wynonna commented. "There's still a small part of me that doesn't trust her though."

 

"I thought you two were friends."

 

"More like friends of friends. She plays on the same basketball team as I do and hangs out with the same people, I wouldn't invite her over for drinks on a Saturday night though."

 

\--------

 

Waverly gripped the mug of tea in her hands and pulled the blanket further up her body. She sighed contently as she looked up at the night sky from the swing on their porch.

 

"Am I interrupting your thoughts?" Gus said quietly.

 

Waverly smiled. "Not at all." She motioned for Gus to sit, lifting up the blanket from her lap.

 

They sat in silence for a while. Waverly was happy just being there with her, quiet or not. Gus has always been a parent to her, losing hers at such a young age.

 

"Wanna tell me about this really good person?"

 

If Waverly was cold before, she definitely wasn't now. Not with the heat filling her cheeks.

 

"Right."

 

"You know you don't have to hide anything from me, right? I promised your dad I'd take care of you and your sister, but it was my choice to make that promise."

 

Waverly smiled and leaned her head on Gus' shoulder. "Wynonna told you, didn't she?"

 

Gus laughed. "That obvious?"

 

"She _is_ a good person, despite what people think about her."

 

"I never said she wasn't."

 

"No but I'm sure Wynonna did."

 

"Actually, she didn't. It might've been implied but those words weren't spoken."

 

"Wynonna doesn't like her because she's this big player with a bunch of her father's money."

 

"I didn't ask why your sister doesn't like her. Why do you?"

 

"That's the thing. I don't know." She answered truthfully. "I'm not even completely sure when it started. I feel like I can be myself around her but it's so- scary? and confusing. I've never felt this confused a day in my life."

 

Gus gave her a knowing smile. "I think you know exactly what you want, _that_ you're sure about. You're just too scared that you're going to get hurt." She wrapped her arm around Waverly. "You thought you were straight for what? Twenty years of your life? It's going to be confusing, sweetie. But any and everything that you're feeling is completely valid and if Nicole likes you as much as you like her, she'll understand that and she'll give you as much time as you need to figure all of it out. If she doesn't, she's not the right one."

 

"But the thing is, Nicole doesn't do relationships. She has her attention on one girl for a few days, maybe a week and then moves on to the next."

 

"And her attention has been on you for what, a month now?" Gus stated. "I think that means something."

 

"Not completely on me. I think that whenever she feels any type of emotion towards anything, her first instinct is to run as fast as she can in the opposite direction. I don't want her to run from me."

 

"Then tell her that." She tried. "Tell her you don't want to be another one of her 'friends' and that you're willing to figure out whatever it is she's feeling just as much as you're willing to figure out your feelings. If she runs from that then is it really worth it?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do you guys prefer longer chapters or shorter chapters? asking for science of course.


	12. XII

Wynonna (7:46am): it's road trip time bitches!!!

 

Nicole laughed as she looked down at her phone.

 

Nicole (7:47am): did you invite rosita?

 

Waverly (7:49am): no, she made me do it.

 

Dolls (7:52am): Pussy.

 

Wynonna (7:55am): shut up dolls or i'll crash the car with you in it

 

Jeremy (8:00am): Where are we meeting and how many cars are we taking?

 

Doc (8:02am): I can drive one group.

 

Nicole (8:03am): if you wanna make it there alive, don't get in the car with doc.

 

Waverly (8:05am): we can meet at my house around 9:30???

 

Chrissy (8:06am): will you shitheads shut the fuck up I'm trying to sleep

 

Wynonna (8:07am): you were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago chrissy

 

Chrissy (8:07am): why are you still talking

 

\--------

 

A little after nine-thirty everyone was at the homestead. Gus was serving people coffee and offering them food, not being able to pass up the chance to be a good host; whether they were staying or not.

 

"I can't let any of you leave on an empty stomach." She insisted.

 

Chrissy was still half asleep, curled up on one side of the couch while Jeremy and Robin were practically buzzing with excitement, completely awake.

 

"Will you two keep it down!?" Chrissy complained.

 

Wynonna threw a pillow in the blondes direction, hitting her right in the side of her head. "Wake up or we're leaving without you."

 

Nicole walked into the kitchen to refill her cup of coffee. She walked over to the counter, grabbing the pot and pouring some into the cup. She glanced out the window, her heart almost stopping at what she saw.

 

Waverly and Champ were standing by Waverly's Jeep. It looked like they were almost.. getting along?

 

The smile that was spread across Waverly's face, Champs hand on her shoulder, both of them laughing. It made Nicole's blood boil. She couldn't stand the sight of them together, not after what he did to her.

 

"You're Nicole, right? I've heard a lot about you."

 

Nicole turned to see Gus, plastering a fake smile on her face.

 

"Good things, I hope."

 

"Waverly seems to really like you."

 

Nicole spared a glance out the kitchen window. "Clearly."

 

"Oh, he's just fixing her jeep." Gus explained.

 

"Something her and I both know I'm fully capable of doing."

 

Normally, Nicole didn't act like this towards anyone for any reason. But something about the scene set her on edge.

 

"I think she's unsure of your intentions with her."

 

"Mine?" Nicole raised her eyebrows. "Why?"

 

"As much as I've heard, neither one of you have been very clear." Gus stated.

 

"Okay, so we've decided on two groups. Unless that's too packed, then we can do three." Wynonna walked into the kitchen. "Nicole, you can drive your car and Doc will drive his. You both have the most space. Rosita, Dolls, Doc and I will be in one car. You, Chrissy, Waves, Robin and Jeremy can be in the other."

 

Nicole nodded her head. "Let me know when everyone's ready." She brushed past both women and out of the kitchen. Wynonna gave Gus a questioning look. The older woman nodded her head towards the window.

 

"Oh, no."

 

\--------

 

"Are you two serious?" Champ asked.

 

They'd been getting along pretty well, on a business level at least. Champ was the town's mechanic, something he's done since he was a teenager. When he found out something was wrong with Waverly's Jeep he practically jumped at the chance to fix it. Finding any excuse to talk to her.

 

"Me and?"

 

"Nicole."

 

"Oh, look. You know her name." She smiled. "No. Not at the moment at least."

 

He placed his hand on her shoulder in a comforting way. "Be careful with her. I know you trust her but I'm serious."

 

Waverly stuck her hand up and crossed her fingers. "Promise."

 

"And hey, if it doesn't work out. I'm always here." He winked.

 

Waverly rolled her eyes. "Nice try."

 

"Get your grubby hands off of my sister." Wynonna yelled, walking off the porch. "Come on, baby girl. Everyone's about to leave, get your stuff."

 

"She's never not gonna hate me, is she?"

 

Waverly scrunched her face. "Probably not."

 

Waverly quickly grabbed her things from off the porch. Wynonna informed her of the plan before getting into Dolls' car. Mumbling something about getting shot gun before anyone else could.

 

Chrissy stumbled out of the house, throwing her bag into Nicole's trunk and getting in the car - pillow and blanket in hand.

 

"Clearly you didn't get much sleep last night." Waverly said before also getting in the car.

 

"Not the time, Waves. So not the time. I'd worry about your girlfriend being mad at you first."

 

"She's not my- wait why is she mad?"

 

Nicole, Jeremy and Robin all climbed in the car at the same time, stopping Chrissy and Waverly's conversation from continuing.

 

Nicole's beach house was about an hour drive from Purgatory, a longer drive than if they were coming from the campus. Most of the car ride was silent besides Jeremy and Robin talking and Chrissy complaining about never being able to get sleep around them.

 

Waverly's phone buzzed and she quickly pulled it from her pocket.

 

Jeremy (10:29am): I'm sensing some tension in this car.

 

Wynonna (10:30am): wait let me add Rosita.

 

Waverly rolled her eyes as Wynonna introduced Rosita to the groupchat.

 

Waverly (10:33am): there is no tension

 

Wynonna (10:34am): You guys do realize this isn't fair for the people that are driving, right? -dolls

 

Chrissy (10:36am): Or the people that are trying to sleep

 

Wynonna (10:37am): oh suck it up and tell me about this tension.

 

Robin (10:40am): Waverly and Nicole haven't said one word to each other.

 

Nicole kept her eyes on the road, reaching down to grab her phone and shutting it off. "You guys are seriously annoying me with this groupchat shit."

 

Chrissy sleepily agreed.

 

Jeremy (10:46am): Nicole just yelled at us for texting in the groupchat.

 

Waverly (10:48am): you know your strategy was defective considering a certain someone could just go back and read these messages

 

Chrissy sighed and snatched Jeremy's phone out of his hand.

 

"Hey!"

 

"For the love of God, would you two just say one word to each other so everyone can stop making a big deal out of it and I can actually go to sleep." She yelled towards the front seat.

 

"There's no need, we're here." Nicole said.

 

Both cars parked and everyone got out. A few people grabbed their things but everyone else decided they could always leave it for later. Chrissy especially.

 

They all got settled into different places. Jeremy and Robin took the guest room, Wynonna and Rosita took what was supposed to be Nicole's parents room, Nicole and Waverly took Nicole's room, Doc and Dolls fought over which couch they got depending on which one was more comfortable. Chrissy didn't call any room. Instead she walked in, laid down on the futon in the game room and went to sleep. Deciding that's where she was gonna spend most of her time.

 

Nicole showed everyone where everything was, including the liquor cabinet; upon Wynonna's request.

 

Most of the morning was spent just laying around. Chrissy eventually woke up and got food before going and lying back down, falling into a comfortable sleep.

 

"Why is it I always run into you out here." Waverly joked, walking outside onto the deck.

 

"Full circle?" Nicole smiled.

 

Waverly walked up to Nicole, leaning into her side. "You gonna tell me what's bothering you so much."

 

Nicole rested her arm on Waverly's shoulders, finding comfort in the way the shorter girl got impossibly closer.

 

"I saw you and Champ and maybe I got jealous."

 

"He was just fixing my Jeep."

 

"I could've done that."

 

Waverly laughed. "Yeah but it's his job and you don't owe me anything."

 

"And he does?"

 

"Well, he did cheat on me with my sisters current girl crush."

 

"Speaking of, Rosita's like totally been flirting with Wynonna, right? I'm not just seeing things."

 

"Oh, no. Definitely not seeing things. I think Wynonna kinda likes it."

 

Nicole laughed and faced Waverly. "We're good right? There's nothing you need to tell me?"

 

Waverly shook her head. "We're good. Although, I do have a few things I should probably figure out."

 

"That makes two of us."

 

"Maybe just.. take it slow?" She suggested.

 

"As long as I can still kiss you."

 

Waverly acted like she was thinking about it, tipping her head to one side. "I think I can allow that."

 

Nicole smiled and leaned in, her eyes never leaving Waverly's.

 

"Hey, we're thinking about having a fire on the be- I just did it again, didn't I. I interrupted a moment." Chrissy cringed.

 

Waverly laughed and pulled away from Nicole. "It's fine. You were saying something about a fire?" She glanced back at Nicole and flashed her a smile.

 

\--------

 

"Let's play truth or dare." Rosita suggested.

 

They'd been sitting on the beach for almost a half hour now just talking.

 

"Okay, truth or dare." Nicole said.

 

"What-"

 

"You wanna play so bad, pick one."

 

Rosita took a swig of her beer before answering. "Dare."

 

"I dare you to kiss Wynonna."

 

Waverly choked on her drink while Wynonna's eyes went wide.

 

"No way." Wynonna said.

 

"Why not?" Nicole teased.

 

"Because my first time kissing Rosita isn't going to be during a game of Truth or Dare." She said without second thought.

 

"You've thought about our first kiss?" Rosita teased.

 

"Nicole and Waverly's first kiss was on a beer pong table, anything's gotta be better than that." Chrissy commented.

 

"Not funny. I was peer pressured." Waverly shot back.

 

"I'm sure." Wynonna mumbled.

 

"Didn't look like peer pressure to me when you were laying on that table." The blonde joked.

 

Wynonna looked between the two before fake gagging. "Gross."

 

\--------

 

The week went by as to be expected. Everyone got along great until Wynonna decided she wanted to empty the contents of the liquor cabinet.

 

"It was Jeremy's idea." She tried.

 

"Jeremy doesn't even drink half as much as you do, I find that hard to believe."

 

Rosita got along with everyone, much to Wynonna's surprise considering the first impression she made. Everything was going smoothly until Chrissy walked in on Jeremy and Robin on the borderline of sex.

 

"You should've knocked!" Jeremy reasoned.

 

"Well, you should've locked the door!"

 

Waverly couldn't help but laugh when Wynonna made a joke about knocking being overrated.

 

"If you guys are gonna bang, I'd rather it not be in my parents beach house." Nicole laughed.

 

On their last full day, Doc and Dolls woke up bright and early and made everyone breakfast. Something Wynonna was more than grateful for since she had been attempting to cook the entire time.

 

"We should get fucked up tonight." Wynonna suggested.

 

"You've been fucked up this entire time." Rosita laughed.

 

Nicole rolled her eyes. "We can't get 'fucked up', you drank all of the alcohol."

 

"So get more?"

 

After some compromising, Nicole agreed that she would buy more alcohol and they could _all_ drink tonight.

 

"You better be up in the morning." Waverly turned to Chrissy. "I don't wanna hear any complaints."

 

"Yes, mother." The blonde joked.

 

Most of the day was spent joking around. Jeremy and Wynonna played ping pong in the dining room with a makeshift set up they made after finding ping pong paddles. Robin, Rosita and Doc all watched, making fun of Wynonna's terrible skills. Waverly and Nicole were on the couch, Waverly leaned into Nicole's side while Dolls was in the chair studying.

 

"You're studying on break?" Nicole laughed.

 

"Some of us don't have girlfriend's that can help us with our work." He joked.

 

"Not girlfriend's." Waverly mumbled to herself.

 

She listened as Nicole and Dolls joked back and forth. Dolls saying something about actually wanting to pass his classes and Nicole rebutting with, "I'm technically passing all of mine."

 

Waverly was happy. Actually and completely happy. She was around all of her friends and people that she trusted and there wasn't anything too crazy going on that made her feel out of place. She felt safe. Like she could say or do anything and not get honestly judged for it, despite the constant jokes made by Wynonna or Chrissy.

 

"Can we go upstairs for something?" Waverly whispered to Nicole while Dolls was talking.

 

Nicole squeezed her hand, indicating that she heard her. Waverly got up and made her way upstairs. Nicole followed shortly after, meeting her in her room and closing the door.

 

"Everything okay? If it was the girlfriend comment I can tell people to cool i-"

 

"It's not the girlfriend comment." Waverly interrupted, wrapping her arms lightly around Nicole's shoulders. "I just really want to kiss you and I can't do that in front of a whole bunch of people who don't know something's actually going on."

 

"I think on some level, they know." Nicole joked.

 

Waverly shook her head and smiled, leaning in and gently connecting their lips. Nicole rested her hands on the smaller girls waist, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. Waverly tightened her grip on Nicole's neck, slowly walking backwards towards the bed. She lied down, Nicole's body chasing hers.

 

"Waves."

 

"Shut up." Waverly whispered.

 

Nicole smiled and resumed what she was doing. Waverly sighed when she felt Nicole's hand reach under her shirt, gently dragging her nails across her stomach.

 

"We're going to get the alcohol and- oH my God why do I keep doing this." Chrissy yelled.

 

"Detach yourself from my sister or else." Wynonna walked into the room, opening the door further.

 

Waverly's head dropped back onto the mattress, rolling her eyes and internally cursing herself for not thinking about locking the door. Nicole sighed deeply before sitting up, running her hand through her hair she turned to the two girls.

 

"Actually on second thought, I think I'll go and get the alcohol."

 

Nicole got up and left the room, leaving an entirely too amused Wynonna standing in the doorway.

 

"I'm sorry." Chrissy whispered. "Wynonna said-"

 

"Nothing. I said nothing." She put her hand over Chrissy's mouth.

 

Waverly groaned and got up off the bed, quickly heading downstairs.

 

"You two are very hypocritical." Jeremy blurted out. "Robin and I can't do anything but you can? I knew something was happening between you two. There's not that much tension between friends."

 

"Are you coming?"

 

"No, she's not." Wynonna cut in. "There's no way I'm letting you two be alone after just walking in on _that._ "

 

"You do realize we're both adults, right?" Nicole rolled her eyes.

 

"And she's still _my_ little sister. I'll go with you."

 

"This oughta be good." Doc commented.

 

"Fine. Let's go."

 

Nicole gave Waverly a quick kiss on the cheek before walking out the door. The nearest liquor store was fifteen minutes away in a small town off the coast. The car ride was quiet, much to Nicole's dismay.

 

"Spit it out, Wynonna."

 

"I have nothing to say." She smirked.

 

Wynonna didn't say anything for the rest of the car ride until they got to the liquor store and starting listen off what they 'needed'. Of course, Nicole said no to most of it. They grabbed what they needed and headed back.

 

Jeremy to the group (4:33pm): is anyone dead yet

 

Wynonna (4:47pm): no one's dying on my watch unless you guys are willing to help clean up the body

 

Waverly (4:48pm): keep nicole alive or i'll rat you out to the cops myself

 

"You guys do know I can see these messages, right?" Nicole's eyes were still on the road.

 

Wynonna gave her a questioning look. "No one said we were hiding them."

 

Wynonna (4:56pm): we're heading back now

 

\--------

 

"You wouldn't kiss me?" Nicole gasped.

 

Dolls shook his head laughing, taking a drink of his beer. "No way. You're like a sister to me, it would be like _incest._ " He cringed.

 

Waverly laughed when Nicole's face turned to shock then to disgust. "It's okay. You have enough kisses from me." She slurred.

 

"Yeah and you're drunk." The redhead laughed.

 

"I'd kiss Nicole." Rosita shrugged.

 

"Really?" Wynonna questioned.

 

"I'd kiss everyone here except Jeremy. No offense." She gave him a sorry look.

 

"None taken." He laughed and squeezed Robin's hand tighter.

 

They had been sitting around a fire on the beach drinking. Wynonna, surprisingly, was taking it slow. Waverly on the other hand had probably never been drunker.

 

"So, kiss her then." Waverly challenged, motioning to Wynonna.

 

Wynonna rolled her eyes. "Will someone please get this girl some water."

 

"I don't need water." Waverly slurred and took another drink.

 

Nicole laughed and gently took the cup out of her hand and sitting it on the other side of her own legs.

 

"I think they should kiss, too." Robin smiled.

 

Rosita smirked at Wynonna.

 

"Wynonna is strictly di-" Nicole reached her hand out and covered Waverly's mouth.

 

"Please don't finish that sentence."

 

"Fine!" Wynonna blurted out. "I'll kiss her. Girls kiss all the time."

 

"Sure." Nicole laughed out.

 

Wynonna took a deep breath and looked at Rosita. The dark haired girl gave her a questioning look, as if asking if she was okay. Wynonna gave her a small nod before leaning in and connecting their lips.

 

It was short, chaste. But it didn't stop Wynonna's heart from racing and cheeks flushing red. The smirk that Rosita gave her afterwards didn't help either.

 

"Yeah, you're definitely not straight." Nicole chuckled.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pretty sure that's the last time we ever hear from champ but I didn't go too into it so if you need an explanation, he's coming around to the whole Waverly dating girls thing, okay.
> 
> also, please remember this is supposed to be an angsty slow burn and i took that to my full advantage, I'm sorry (: 
> 
> you guys said you wanted longer chapters and some of these chapters are already written so they'll gradually get longer with time I hope. (:


	13. XIII

Two weeks had past since their little trip and Nicole and Waverly had fallen into a routine. They'd hang out every other night, if not every night. Most of the time it ended with them making out and Nicole stopping herself from going any further.

 

"I don't want to hurt her." Was her excuse when Dolls asked.

 

They were currently trying to study but Nicole couldn't get past the look that Waverly kept giving her. Like she put the stars in the sky and every bad thing she's ever done, anyone she's ever hurt, didn't matter in that moment.

 

"You've gotta stop looking at me like that." Nicole didn't take her eyes off of her paper.

 

"I can't help it."

 

At that, she glanced up at the brunette.

 

"You make me happy." Waverly whispered.

 

Nicole smiled. "Yeah, me too."

 

She scooted up closer on the bed, pecking Waverly on the lips before pulling back and trying to refocus her attention on her homework. After ten minutes with no avail, she gave up.

 

"Waves." She warned. "Seriously."

 

"I don't wanna study anymore." Waverly complained and threw her head back.

 

"Isn't that my line?"

 

"Maybe you're rubbing off on me." The brunette winked.

 

"Funny." Nicole joked. "Listen, if you let me finish this page we can make out all you want."

 

Waverly smiled. "I think I can compromise."

 

After about twenty minutes, Nicole was done and Waverly was practically crawling into her lap. Instinctually, Nicole's hands went straight to Waverly's hips, rubbing small circles with her thumbs while connecting their lips.

 

Waverly's fingers slipped into Nicole's hair, scratching her scalp lightly. The kiss heated up quickly. Teeth clashing together, tongues meeting halfway. Nicole's grip tightened on the smaller girls waist, slipping her hands past the hemline of Waverly's shirt earning a moan in return.

 

Nicole bit down on Waverly's lip before trailing down to her neck. Sucking lightly at her pulse point. Waverly bucked her hips, her grip tightening in the redheads hair.

 

"Gross! Oh my God. Now I know how Chrissy feels."

 

Waverly and Nicole jumped apart. Nicole laughing at the sight of Wynonna shielding her eyes, turning her attention to Waverly's door.

 

"Let me know when you guys are dressed, I'll turn around then." She mumbled out.

 

"We're dressed, Wynonna." Waverly sighed. "You should really think about knocking."

 

"You should really start locking your door then." She shot back.

 

\--------

 

"Can I ask you a question without you deflecting or anything?" Waverly muttered lowly.

 

They were currently at a small coffee shop near Nicole's apartment. They'd been talking all morning about any and everything. Nicole opened up a little bit about her highschool years but not much.

 

"Possibly." Nicole smiled over the top of her cup.

 

Waverly gave her a look.

 

"Okay, fine."

 

"What's the story with you and Shae?"

 

Nicole sat her cup down and gave Waverly a serious look, contemplating how she wanted to tell this story. Settling with the truth, she took a deep breath.

 

"We met my freshman year of college and became pretty close. At the time I wasn't telling anyone I was gay. I figured it was a new start, you know? Some place I could be me without judgment. Her and I started, kind of, dating?" Nicole shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. She was out and I wasn't. She kept telling me she was tired of hiding and not telling people so I broke it off. I already went through the whole 'homophobia' thing with my dad and I didn't want to go through that again. After I told her we couldn't do whatever it was we were doing, she outed me to our entire class at some party. That's where I met Dolls, then the rest is history."

 

"You guys aren't friends? I mean, you looked pretty friendly when I saw you two together."

 

"We're _friendly_ but definitely not friends. We haven't talked in two years? She just popped up, I couldn't be rude."

 

"Nicole Haught: player with a soft heart." Waverly joked.

 

"Are you worried about her?" Nicole asked.

 

Waverly's eyes danced around the small shop. "I was at first. But if you tell me I shouldn't be, then I won't be."

 

Nicole nodded and that was the end of it. The subject faded like all the other ones, replaced by a different, more light-hearted conversation.

 

\--------

 

Waverly was lucky in so many ways. A lot of people looked at her as the little girl from Purgatory with the big smile and joyous attitude. There's been numerous things that have happened in her life that could've changed all of that, it almost did. But she never let it. She was lucky. She had the most caring and supportive friends and family. She had people that cared.

 

And boy, was she beyond grateful. Especially for her friends.

 

"It sounded like her _ex_ really hurt her. I don't think I can change that."

 

"So don't." Chrissy stated bluntly. "Don't try to change that. Everyone goes through heartbreak, Waves. You can't beat yourself up trying to change the past, a past that you weren't even a part of. Shae is Nicole's past, so be her _now."_

 

"She's right." Jeremy agreed. "It seems like Nicole really likes you."

 

Waverly stared at him, expecting him to finish.

 

"Oh, that's it. That's all I've got." He informed her.

 

Waverly rolled her eyes playfully. "I know I can't change her past but it still doesn't sit right with me that, that's what started all of who she is now. If that wouldn't have happened, I don't know, maybe she could've been happier."

 

"But if that wouldn't have happened, would you guys have happened?" Chrissy quirked an eyebrow.

 

Yeah. Waverly was beyond grateful for her friends.

 

Waverly walked up to Rosita, already making her way behind the bar and working on paying her tab. Rosita eventually got used to her and Wynonna doing as they please whenever they're at Shorty's. There's no point in arguing with them about it anymore.

 

"Have you talked to your sister?"

 

Waverly quirked an eyebrow, her vision still set on the computer. "I have, why?"

 

"Is she acting weird around you?"

 

Waverly shook her head. "Not as far as I can see."

 

Rosita sighed. "It's just- ever since we kissed she's been acting lik-"

 

"You what!?" Waverly's face screamed shocked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I uploaded two chapters, honestly my brand at this point, because for one: this wasn't long enough for me to be happy with posting it as a single and two: the cliffhanger and all the questions that'll come with it. BUT if you know why Waverly doesn't know why Wynonna and Rosita kissed, comment and make a guess before you go onto the next chapter. it's pretty obvious but you know lmao.


	14. XIV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops

"They kissed?" Waverly squeaked out.

 

Chrissy laughed. "Trust me, you were way too drunk to remember."

 

"Pretty sure you suggested it." Jeremy said.

 

"I thought it was Nicole."

 

"They're both like the same person."

 

Waverly groaned as her best friends laughed and made jokes.

 

"I think you should talk to Wynonna, dude." Jeremy suggested. "Maybe she can help you."

 

Which is something Waverly intended to do. But then everything got so busy at once. If she wasn't studying for a test then she was at practice or a game. The only time she spent with Nicole was a short "hi" and "bye" after a game. The car rides back to the dorms didn't seem like a good time to bring it up to her sister either. Waverly decided, eventually, to just let Wynonna come to her.

 

\--------

 

"You did amazing." Waverly slung her arms around Nicole's shoulders and leaned in for a kiss.

 

"Thank you, thank you." Nicole laughed and gave her a short kiss back.

 

Waverly was about to lean back in when a man cleared his voice beside them. She turned her head to see a tall, brunette man in a suit.

 

"Dad?" Nicole dropped her hands from Waverly's waist. "What're you doing here?"

 

"I thought I'd finally come to see my daughter play."

 

"After all this time?" Nicole rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Okay."

 

He turned to Waverly and extended his hand.

 

"Hello." He greeted when Waverly took his hand wearily. "I'm Nicole's father but I'm sure you haven't heard much about me."

 

Waverly plastered on a smile. From what she has heard in the past, she didn't like him already. But she was all about first impressions, so she pushed down the anger that boiled right beneath her skin.

 

"Waverly."

 

"You must be Nicole's girlfriend of the month."

 

Nicole interlaced her fingers with Waverly's in attempt to remain calm. The shorter girl squeezed her hand in a reassuring way.

 

"She's not my girlfriend." Nicole said. This time, Waverly was used to it. For the most part, she was beginning to be okay with it. They weren't technically dating. They never talked or said they were exclusively dating. But when Nicole said that word with the tone she always did, it started to hurt eventually.

 

"What are you really doing here, Dad. Seriously, cut the crap."

 

"I told you why I was here." He said sternly. "It's been nice meeting you, Waverly." He turned to her with a smile and softness in his eyes. Like he knew something she didn't.

 

"We should talk." She murmured when he walked away.

 

Nicole shook her head. "Okay, uh, let me change and we can talk."

 

Waverly was waiting for only about five minutes. Nicole made sure she was quick. She made her way back into the gym and sat down on the bleachers next to Waverly. The space was empty now. Everyone cleared out to go to some party. The only people probably still there were the coaches or people waiting for rides.

 

Nicole turned to the brunette. "In order to talk, you kind of have to speak." She joked.

 

Waverly looked up at her with worry spread across her features. "What are we actually? I know we're not dating and I know I said I wanted to take it slow but I need to know, Nicole."

 

The taller woman felt her stomach sink. She's been asked that question numerous times in the past by different girls and it was easy to answer; 'we're not anything.' But Waverly was different. Waverly was _Waverly._ All smiles and bright eyes. Someone who saw the good in the world when it seemed lost. Someone who saw the good in Nicole; the good that she knew wasn't there a lot of the time.

 

"I don't know." She whispered.

 

And when Waverly looked up at her with watery eyes, Nicole felt an immediate punch to the gut.

 

"I hear you say I'm not your girlfriend and that's fine because I'm not. But you say it with so much, I don't know, guilt. Like you don't want me to be." She breathed out a shaky breath. "I need more than an 'I don't know', Nicole."

 

Nicole sighed. "I- I can't, Waves."

 

She said it so softly that it almost broke Waverly. She grabbed the redheads hand and squeezed it. Placing a feather light kiss on her fingers.

 

"When you figure out whatever it is that you don't know, get ahold of me."

 

She slowly let go, giving Nicole one last look before heading home.

 

The next few weeks were spent hanging out with her friends. Waverly needed to keep herself distracted. She cried the first night. She cried until her lungs burned and she couldn't cry anymore. She skipped class the next day, catching up on the work she was behind on. As the days went on, Chrissy started questioning her.

 

"I know something is wrong, Waves. You're my best friend." She insisted. "Talk to me."

 

It took a lot of convincing, but she did talk to her. She told her all the feelings she didn't know she had that she now had. The sinking feeling she'd get when she saw Nicole smiling or being happy without her. When she wasn't the reason for that bright, knee weakening, dimpled smile. She told her everything that was said, every single word.

 

"I was so stupid." She pulled her blanket up further. "I could've been okay with whatever was going on. Whatever we were."

 

Chrissy shook her head and rested her hand on her leg. "No, you couldn't have. You and I both know that, Waverly."

 

"I could've pretended."

 

"And got what out of that? A harder heartbreak than this one?" Chrissy sighed. "Waverly, you have to stop doing things like this to yourself. I'm not saying you're never gonna experience heartbreak again in your life, but stop putting your needs aside for someone else. Please."

 

Waverly spent that night crying in her best friends arms. At some point in the night Chrissy mentioned how this was technically her first heartbreak, which got a laugh out of her.

 

"Now I know why there's so many break up songs." She joked.

 


	15. XV

Waverly walked into Wynonna's dorm. She sat her bag down on her sisters desk, looking around the room and making sure Rosita was indeed at work like Gus had told her.

 

"Okay, spill." Waverly plopped down on Wynonna's bed and plucked the phone out of her hands.

 

"Hey!"

 

"I know you and Rosita kissed!" Waverly yelled louder.

 

Wynonna sat up quickly. "Shhh! Do you want the whole floor to know? God."

 

"You just neglected to tell me? I've waited so long to see if you'd come to me about it, I can't wait anymore. I have to hear about it, I know you're being weird towards he-"

 

"Okay! Okay. Breathe." Wynonna stopped her.

 

Wynonna ran her hand through her hair and sat up straighter. "What do you wanna know?"

 

"Why are you being weird with her now? And who told you to kiss her because Jeremy said-"

 

"Because I think I might have feelings for her." Wynonna blurted out. "You suggested we kiss."

 

"You what?"

 

Wynonna smiled at her sheepishly. "Maybe have feelings for her? I don't know yet. I don't do the whole-" She waved her hands in the air. "feelings thing. But ever since she's gotten here it's been nothing but laughing and smiling and gossip, but the good kind. You know, the kind you wanna talk about it. It's like we could talk for hours and not get bored. She's genuinely sweet, not an asshole like everyone else I've been with and I'm totally making this whole break up thing with you worse, aren't I?"

 

Waverly quickly wiped the sad expression off her face and smiled happily at her sister. "No because you're happy and I love seeing this side of you. Gushy and soft Wynonna is different — and it wasn't a break up."

 

Wynonna fake gagged. "Not soft."

 

"Right, okay." Waverly nodded sarcastically. "Are you gonna tell her?"

 

"No!" Wynonna shook her head abruptly. "And neither are you and you're not telling Chrissy any of this because we both know anything that goes into that girls ears comes out through her mouth."

 

"Why not? She clearly makes you happy."

 

"Stop me if it's too soon to joke about this but, I just watched you go through a break up that wasn't technically even a break up with one of my frie- acquaintances. I don't want to go through that, I think I learned from your mistakes."

 

"There's a big difference between _her_ and Rosita." Waverly had been careful not to mention Nicole's name. Everyone has been. It's like they were walking on eggshells around her.

 

"I know that. But still."

 

Waverly smiled. "I think you should tell her. You should see your face when you're talking about her, it's so sof-"

 

Wynonna grabbed a pillow and hit her sister in the head with it. "Say soft and I swear to God."

 

\--------

 

Waverly walked back into the gym and felt her heart stop along with her legs. She moved backwards into the doorway, just out of view of the redhead.

 

She was heading out of the doors to the gymnasium when she realized she forgot her phone on the bleachers after practice. The chances of it still being there were in her favor considering everyone that was there before she left were people she knew. But she wasn't expecting to see Nicole still there messing around on the court shooting free throws.

 

She redirected her line of sight towards the ground, suddenly very interested in her shoes and made her way towards the spot she last remembered having it.

 

"It might help if you actually look where you're going." Nicole said softly.

 

Waverly looked up, face to face with the one person she dreaded ever seeing again. Nicole held up her phone and handed it to her.

 

"Thanks."

 

"No problem."

 

Waverly looked her in the eyes. She could see the pain that was kept hidden make an appearance for a few seconds before Nicole's stone cold exterior came back.

 

"I'm sorry." Waverly muttered.

 

Nicole stopped dribbling the ball and looked at her. "You're sorry? Waverly none of this was your fault, ever."

 

Waverly stuck her phone in her pocket and walked towards Nicole. "I shouldn't have asked to take it slow. I should've just asked you then what we were doing and it would've saved us all of this-" She gestured between them. "awkwardness."

 

Nicole smiled sadly. "Stop blaming yourself."

 

"Can I see that?" She pointed towards the basketball.

 

Waverly took the ball and walked to the center of the three point line. She lined herself up with the basket and tossed the ball in.

 

"Wow." Nicole joked. "This whole time I thought you had no clue what you were cheering for."

 

The shorter woman rolled her eyes playfully and took the ball back from Nicole. "Please. I grew up with Wynonna. I'm a natural." She dribbled the ball back and forth between her hands.

 

"Oh yeah?"

 

"Yes."

 

Nicole swiftly stole the ball from her in between dribbling, barely turning around before sinking the ball through the net.

 

"Show off."

 

Waverly grabbed the ball once it reached the floor and held it tightly with both hands, running past Nicole.

 

"You're traveling! That's a foul."

 

"Is it?" Waverly challenged. Throwing the ball through the air and into the net.

 

"Doesn't count."

 

"I didn't know you were so serious about this."

 

Nicole rolled her eyes and snatched the ball from the court, walking towards the brunette.

 

"You'd never win in an actual game against me and we both know it."

 

"Who's been boosting your ego? It's getting a little high." She joked some more.

 

The redhead shook her head lightly. "No one."

 

Waverly felt the shift between them, suddenly very serious. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking-"

 

"You've gotta stop apologizing." Nicole smiled.

 

They were barely a foot apart and Waverly couldn't help it when her breath hitched.

 

"Sorry."

 

Nicole shook her head again. "You know something I've always disliked about you?"

 

Waverly braced herself for whatever she was about to say. She crossed her arms across her chest and tilted her head to the side, signalling for Nicole to continue.

 

"You've always tailored yourself to fit the people around you - which you shouldn't have to do. I think you realizing you're gay hit you so hard because you've never worried about yourself up until recently. You just now started figuring yourself out and that's why you feel the need to put all the blame on yourself. You feel guilty for feeling something."

 

Waverly looked towards the ceiling, urging the tears at the edge of her eyes not to fall.

 

"You can't say things like that." She said breathlessly. "How am I supposed to be mad at you when you're being so, you."

 

They were only inches apart now. Nicole reached out and brushed her fingers against Waverly's, letting the ball in her hand drop to the floor. In that moment, Waverly thought, that if Nicole leaned in just then; she'd kiss her back. She's wanted nothing than to just be by her side, even if they couldn't be together in the way she needed or wanted. Even if they were actually _just_ friends.

 

"I'm interrupting something, aren't I?"

 

Nicole didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

 

"You kinda are, yeah, Shae."

 

"I just came here to talk to you, I can come back another time. Give you and your girlfriend some space."

 

Waverly sighed. "I'm not her girlfriend."

 

That's when Nicole understood what Waverly was talking about. She had said it before at the beach house when Dolls made a joke, but it was light-heartedly and purely joking. Now it was serious and it hurt.

 

"What do you need, Shae?"

 

Waverly smiled a small smile and said her goodbyes to both women. It wasn't her place to be there anymore, not that it was much before either. But she would feel weird sticking around, she couldn't.

 

\--------

 

"You're failing a class?"

 

"Wha-"

 

Nicole gave Waverly a warning look before walking further into her room. "Chrissy told me that you're failing a class."

 

Waverly sighed and shut her door, following the redhead. "She really can't keep her mouth shut."

 

Nicole sat down in Waverly's desk chair, creating distance between them.

 

"What class is it?"

 

"I have to compose a song for this music class I'm taking in order to pass the rest of this semester and I'm stuck at one part."

 

"Can I hear it."

 

Waverly hesitated for a moment. Nicole has only ever heard her sing when she was joking around. Not when she was seriously singing.

 

"I suppose."

 

She grabbed her guitar off of it's stand and strummed it a couple times, making sure it was in tune. She played a couple of chords and sang a few lines of a song she'd written.

 

Nicole watched amazed. She regretted not asking Waverly to sing before. Her voice was angelic and she could listen to it all day. Even if it was just fifteen seconds of a song she didn't know.

 

"I miss you." She mentally chastised herself for speaking before her thoughts. "I'm sorry, that was out of line."

 

"I miss you, too." Waverly said softly, guitar still in her lap.

 

Nicole sighed. "I know you want me to change for you. I know you want me to waltz in here and say I'm ready to be your girlfriend and change completely from who I am right now but I can't do that. I can't get hur-" She stopped herself. "I just can't. I'm sorry."

 

Waverly shook her head, her facial expression remaining neutral. "I'd never ask you to change _for_ me, Nicole. If you were 'changing' for anybody, I'd want it to be for you – because you chose to do it. Not because you think I'm asking." She took a deep breath. "It hurts not being able to walk up to you after games and kiss you or invite you over to hangout but in a way, I think I understand now. I don't want you to beat yourself up either."

 

Nicole nodded and smiled sadly at the smaller girl. "Want some help with your song?"

 

The brunette let out a breathy laugh. "Yeah, I think that can work."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> think of the song that Waverly's singing as /that/ song that Dominique sang in that one IG story. (if you have no idea what I'm talking about, let me know and I'll link it)


	16. XVI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, upon request here's two chapters today (:
> 
> shout out to adri, you've got your wayhaught. don't be too excited because angst, remember? anyway, follow her on twitter guys (: @3amInChicago

"So we're leaving for Christmas break, right?" Wynonna plopped down at the table with all her friends.

 

They'd been at Shorty's having a very, very late lunch. Nicole and Waverly remained neutral and calm. There wasn't the same awkward tension that was there before. They were friends now. Even if neither one of them necessarily wanted to be. There wasn't the same flow of conversation between them anymore, hardly ever. But they were _friends._ They had to be for the sake of everyone around them and for themselves. They wanted to be around each other, they wanted to have _something._

 

"Why do you always need to have a plan?" Dolls asked.

 

"Because I like knowing things ahead of time." Wynonna shot back. "Look, are we leaving or not?"

 

"And going where? I'm not having another slumber party at my dad's beach house." Nicole leaned back into the booth.

 

"My family has a cabin just outside of town." Robin suggested. "I can see if we can go there."

 

Wynonna smacked her hand on the table before snapping her finger towards Robin. "Perfect! See? A plan."

 

Waverly shook her head and sported an amused smile. "Just how do you think Gus is gonna let us skip out on her big Christmas dinner?"

 

Wynonna smiled deviously. "I already have that covered."

 

"My dads having a town get-together of the sorts for Christmas. We made him invite Gus to cook something for it, which means she'll be preoccupied." Chrissy started. "So, Wynonna can convince her to let you guys leave and then the plan is in action."

 

"What if someone else had plans for this break?" Doc questioned.

 

"Doc, please. You don't see your family, Nicole hates her dad, Rosita has no family here, Dolls' plans were to stay on campus the entire break and study and Jeremy will go anywhere Robin does." She explained, excluding Waverly and Chrissy.

 

"So, it's settled?" Rosita asked. "We're going to Robin's cabin for break?"

 

"We are going to Robin's cabin for break." Wynonna confirmed.

 

\--------

 

Everyone met at the homestead like they had before. Gus put up a small fight about Waverly and Wynonna leaving but she wanted to see them happy. They finally had people that made them happy and Gus was more than okay with compromising this one holiday for that.

 

"Can we switch cars?" Waverly asked Wynonna.

 

"No way. Rosita's in my car."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes. "Then have Rosita switch with Chrissy."

 

"But-"

 

"Please, Wynonna. I really don't want to go a whole two hour car ride in silence because Nicole and I aren't talking."

 

Wynonna slumped her shoulders and sighed. "Fine. I'll talk to Rosie."

 

"Rosie, huh?" Waverly quirked an eyebrow.

 

After a _lot_ of persuading, Rosita and Chrissy agreed to switch cars with them. Nicole and Dolls on the other hand, had no idea this was happening. So when Wynonna hastily crawled into the front seat and Jeremy asked where Waverly was, she was just as surprised as the rest of them.

 

"Waves doesn't wanna ride in this car because she doesn't want there to be any awkward silence between her and Haught-tempered over here." She stuck her thumb out towards Nicole without looking up from her phone.

 

Nicole rolled her eyes and started the engine. Robin was the navigator so Dolls' car pulled out after Nicole, following them down the road. The car ride was quiet until Wynonna turned on some form of obnoxious music and started singing along, annoying Nicole more.

 

"It's so much nicer in this car. I don't have Jeremy's elbow in my ribcage the entire time I'm trying to nap." Chrissy smiled at Doc next to her.

 

"I will keep my elbows to myself."

 

"Why're you riding with us anyway? What's with the car switch." Dolls kept his eyes on the road.

 

Waverly shrugged. "I thought we needed a change."

 

The only people who really knew her and Nicole broke up was Chrissy and Wynonna. Her sister only technically knew because Chrissy can't keep her mouth shut about anything. Wynonna was mad at first; listing off a number of threats before Waverly shut her down and told her it was technically mutual.

 

She was aware that everyone knew something was going on but no one wanted to ask, which she respected.

 

They were thirty minutes away from the cabin when they stopped at a rest station. Everyone got out to stretch their legs and grab something to eat since it was almost lunch. Waverly looked across the parking lot, catching sight of the redhead. She felt her heart flutter. After all this time, that was a reoccurring thing whenever she saw her. She ducked her head and got back into the car, ignoring the her stomach asking her for food.

 

Once they arrived, Chrissy was out of the car before anyone else. Already on the porch waiting for Robin to come open the door. The cabin was big on the outside but it didn't do justice to the inside. There was a big living room extending off of the even bigger kitchen, separated by a large island. Off to the right of the door sat a staircase with an even walk way at the top that over looked the living room.

 

"There's a game room downstairs, too." Robin said. He turned towards Wynonna. "And please, stay away from the wine cellar. My parents have been saving some of those bottles for decades."

 

"Shouldn't have even mentioned it, dude." Wynonna smirked.

 

"Wynonna-"

 

"Relax. I'll stay away from the old wine." She threw her hands up in surrender. "But there better be liquor around here somewhere."

 

They figured out the room situation. Initially, Nicole and Waverly were going to stay in one room, Wynonna and Rosita in another, Jeremy and Robin, Chrissy, Doc and Dolls in each of their separate rooms.

 

The first night was spent with everyone exploring the space, finding hidden closets and compartments. They eventually all broke off and went upstairs.

 

"I can sleep on the couch." Nicole suggested.

 

"It's fine, I can sleep with Chrissy."

 

So she did. For the first two days, Waverly and Nicole barely talked. They danced around each other whenever they were in the same room, not going unnoticed by some of their friends. Chrissy and Wynonna had stayed silent though, much to Waverly's surprise.

 

"What's going on with you two?" Dolls walked into the kitchen towards Waverly.

 

"Huh?"

 

"I know something's happening and Nicole won't tell me, you're the next best thing." He joked. "Is it the sex? Because I think you'd be the first girl that complai-"

 

"It's not, no. We- No." She grimaced. "It's not the sex."

 

"Did you guys break up?"

 

Waverly shrugged her shoulders. "Is it considered breaking up if you weren't actually together?"

 

Dolls sighed and sat down in the chair next to her. "Do you want me to talk to her?"

 

She shook her head. "There's no point. She's not the relationship type, you know? Asking her to be something she's not wouldn't feel right."

 

"Waverly-" He stopped, taking a deep breath. "Nicole cares about you — more than anyone she's ever cared about before. I've been her closest friend for years and I've never seen her talk about someone the way she does with you. She hasn't been with any other girl since you guys started whatever it is you called yourselves, right? She's scared. She let her guard down before you and got hurt. She builds walls, it's how she is. But if you really believe she doesn't want to be with you, then that brain of yours isn't as smart as I thought."

 

Waverly smiled sadly. "Then she needs to tell me that. I can't chase after her anymore."

 

"Hey, nerds. We're playing drunk hide and seek." Wynonna interrupted.

 

"It's only five, Wynonna."

 

"Do we have obligations today? Anything we need to do? Do we have to leave or wake up early for school tomorrow?" Wynonna asked sarcastically. "No, we don't. Which means get your asses in the game room because we're getting drunk and playing hide and seek."

 

They all gathered in the game room, drinking some expensive bottle of alcohol that Wynonna found in one of the cabinets. They settled on two people being the seekers and everyone else hiding.

 

"Can we have teammates?" Nicole asked.

 

"You can hide in pairs, yeah." Wynonna looked at her like she was asking irrelevant questions.

 

"Okay, I choose Waverly."

 

Waverly looked between Nicole and her sister with wide eyes, hoping for a way out.

 

"Fine."

 

After a lot of arguing, Dolls and Jeremy decided to be the seekers. Everyone else running off to hide with cups of alcohol in hand.

 

\--------

 

"We can't hide here, it's in plain view." Wynonna complained.

 

"Then hide somewhere else." Rosita whispered and looked around the room. "We can hide in the closet."

 

Wynonna rolled her eyes. "Right, like that's not the first place they'd look."

 

Rosita groaned. "Then pick a place, Wynonna! Stop being so damn indecisive."

 

"Why do I feel like you're talking about something completely different?"

 

"Obviously you can't take a hint."

 

Wynonna threw her arms into the air groaning. "Spit it out, Rosie."

 

"You've been being short and weird around me ever since we kissed. If you didn't want to, you didn't have to and I'm sorry if you felt like you did. But I hate that it's like this between us-"

 

"You think I didn't want to kiss you?" Wynonna furrowed her eyebrows.

 

"You're sure acting like it."

 

Wynonna crossed the room, stopping inches away from the girl. Her vision switched back and forth between Rosita's eyes to her lips. "I did."

 

Rosita looked into Wynonna's soft eyes. "So, do it then."

 

The gears turning in Wynonna's head were overwhelming but the sound of Rosita's breath hitching when her hands wrapped around her waist grounded her. She leaned in slowly and placed a feather light kiss on her lips, pulling back and looking her eyes.

 

Rosita wrapped her arms around Wynonna's neck, pulling her back in. The kiss was slow at first, both of them unsure of themselves. Wynonna tightened her grip, pulling Rosita closer. Her tongue slipping past Wynonna's lips, earning a low moan from the other girl.

 

Wynonna slipped her hands underneath Rosita's shirt as the darker haired girl moved her assault to Wynonna's neck.

 

"Rosie." She whispered. Voice breathless and full of desire.

 

Rosita's mouth danced across her collar bone, sucking and smoothing it with her tongue. Wynonna's fingers slipped into her hair holding her place.

 

The door to room flung open and they both jumped apart, Chrissy running in and closing the door slowly. The blonde looked around the room before her eyes landed on the two women.

 

"From now on, I'm done walking into random rooms without announcing myself first. I'm tired of walking in on these moments." She groaned.

 

Wynonna laughed and sighed, relieved that she didn't question any of it.

 

"Keep your mouth shut or I spill every secret I know about you." Wynonna said.

 

Chrissy raised her hands. "Not a word."

 

They heard footsteps running down the hallway and panicked. Rosita grabbed both of their arms and pulled them into the closet. Putting her finger up to her lips in attempt to keep them both quiet.

 

"Kind of ironic, isn't it?" Chrissy whispered. "We're in the closet and you two-"

 

"Shut up."

 

\--------

 

Waverly and Nicole ran down the hallway past all the rooms. Darting in and out of places they think they could hide.

 

"Here." Waverly pointed to the small cubby hole at the end of the hallway.

 

"You expect us both to fit in there?" Nicole quirked an eyebrow.

 

"You could always go hide alone."

 

Nicole sighed and opened the door waiting for Waverly to climb through. She glanced over the railing making sure no one was downstairs before following, cracking the door slightly behind her.

 

They sat in silence for a while until Waverly pulled out her phone and turned her flashlight on.

 

"What are you doing? They can see the light."

 

"Relax. Doc texted me and said Jeremy and Dolls just passed him. He's downstairs, it'll take them at least ten minutes to get up here."

 

Nicole sighed and leaned back against the wall. "At least you're talking to me." She mumbled, mostly to herself but Waverly still heard it.

 

"I'm sorry for that. You don't deserve the silent treatment." Waverly looked guilty and Nicole couldn't get past it.

 

"You're apologizing for something that isn't your fault, again."

 

Waverly turned her head and smiled at Nicole. "Look, we decided to be friends. We could at least act like it."

 

Nicole took a deep breathe and looked straight ahead. Her thoughts running a hundred miles per hour through her head. She reached out and grabbed Waverly's hand, looking down as she interlaced their fingers. Waverly squeezed her hand and smiled.

 

"What if I don't want to _just_ be friends?" Nicole whispered.

 

It was quiet enough that if they were in an open room, no one would've heard it. But they're crammed into a cubby hole, inches apart. Waverly definitely heard it.

 

"What?"

 

"I know I said that I can't change or whatever. But what if I can?" Nicole looked at her with questioning eyes. "I really _really_ like you, Waverly. I want to be with you no matter what it takes to get that."

 

Waverly paused for a second. So many questions popping into her head, sitting right on the tip of her tongue. Her heart was racing and she thinks, if someone walked by, they could hear it.

 

"You're serious?"

 

Nicole nodded. For the first time, Waverly saw fear on the taller girls face. Fear that what she wanted wasn't reciprocated. Fear that for some god forsaken reason, Waverly might've changed her mind.

 

"You're done with whatever games you like to play?"

 

Nicole nodded again. "I only want you, Waverly."

 

The brunette smiled, tears of happiness clouding her vision. She reached out and brushed her hand against Nicole's face. Leaning in and kissing her, pulling back slightly to rest their foreheads together.

 

"Okay, I'm not good at this because I've never actually done it. So if it's too cliché we can pretend it didn't happen." She laughed. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

 

Waverly laughed and nodded. "You dumbass, yes."

 

The door to the cubby hole creaked open, Jeremy shining his flashlight in.

 

"I found wayhaught!" He yelled through the house.

 

Waverly's head sunk back into the wall, her hand flying up to cover her eyes. "You guys have gotta stop with that name."


	17. XVII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> smut warning (:  
> also, I've never posted smut on here before I usually just write it for my friends so if it sucks actually let me know, I need corrective criticism.

"Do you know who Wynonna is seeing?" Gus walked into the kitchen at the homestead.

 

Waverly had spent all week there planning a party for Nicole's birthday. The older woman was more than happy to let Waverly have it at Shorty's. _It's good for business_ she had said, causing Waverly to laugh.

 

She shook her head, attention still focused on the paper in front of her. "I wasn't aware that Wynonna was seeing anyone. Why?"

 

"Well, she has a giant bruise on her neck and it wasn't there when you guys left for your trip."

 

Waverly dropped her pencil, realization hitting her. "Uh- I. No clue." She stuttered.

 

Gus gave her an amused look and nodded her head. "Uh huh."

 

\--------

 

Wynonna barely had time to get through the door before Waverly was pulling her upstairs so fast she almost tripped.

 

"Slow down, road runner." Wynonna tugged her arm back once they got inside her room. "What?"

 

"You! You, you and Rosita — you guys, you. The hickey on your neck!"

 

Wynonna's hand automatically flew up and covered her neck. "What?" She snorted. "No."

 

"Yes!" Waverly whisper yelled.

 

"How? How did you figure that out so easily?"

 

"Gus." She answered shortly.

 

Wynonna barely had time to register was Waverly was doing when she grabbed a pillow off the bed before it hit her smack in the face.

 

"Why didn't you tell me!?" She hit her again.

 

"Ow! Ow, okay!" Wynonna grabbed the pillow and smacked her with it back. "Stop hitting me!"

 

"I could've covered for you! Now Gus is asking questions that I don't know how to answer because I can't get over the thought of — ew! Gross!" Waverly grimaced.

 

"We didn't have sex if that's what you're picturing."

 

Waverly's eyes went wide and she grabbed another pillow, chucking it at her sister. "I wasn't but now I am!"

 

Wynonna smirked and picked the pillows up off the floor. She sat down on the bed beside Waverly. "Wanna hear about it?"

 

Waverly smiled and nodded before holding up a hand. "But nothing gross."

 

They lied down next to each other. Wynonna stared at the ceiling and took a deep breath, smiling a bright smile Waverly hasn't seen in a while. She told her everything. How they kissed and then, of course, Chrissy walked in.

 

"I can't believe she actually kept her mouth shut." Waverly laughed.

 

Wynonna mentioned how after that they'd sneak off and just kiss — nothing more. That night they laid in bed wrapped around each other smiling happily and she felt _safe._ Like anything bad that's ever happened before didn't matter because she was _that_ happy.

 

"Have you guys talked?"

 

"Somewhat. But not about us."

 

Waverly smiled at how happy her sister looked. She was genuinely and truly happy and Waverly was genuinely and truly happy for her.

 

They sat there all night, Waverly listening to Wynonna go on and on about Rosita until they fell asleep. The next day they both got up and planned the party.

 

\--------

 

Nicole spent most of her day at the homestead with Waverly. The majority of the time was spent on the couch watching movies. Occasionally, Gus would pulled Waverly off into the kitchen being secretive. She would return and act like nothing was happening even though Nicole already knew. Her friends weren't very good at coming up with lies when she asked what they were doing today.

 

"I have a present for you." Waverly sat up, Nicole's arm dropping behind her.

 

"Oh, yeah?" She quirked an eyebrow.

 

Waverly rolled her eyes and grabbed her guitar. Sitting down next to Nicole and crossing her legs.

 

"I know you like hearing me sing, so."

 

Nicole smiled as Waverly sang happy birthday to her. It was simple, nothing special to anyone else. But to Nicole, it was. Her heart fluttered and she could feel the butterflies in her stomach.

 

She didn't waste anytime grabbing the smaller girl once she put the instrument down, pulling her into her lap and kissing her passionately.

 

Waverly got caught up in the moment until her mind got back to her, pulling back slowly and smiling.

 

"Come on."

 

She grabbed Nicole's hand and pulled her out the door and to her car. Making the quick drive to Shorty's slower than usual.

 

They walked through the door, Nicole smiling widely when everyone jumped up and yelled surprise. She leaned over and whispered a soft _thank_ _you_ in Waverly's ear, squeezing her hand gently.

 

She greeted her friends with hugs and smiles. Wynonna handed her a shot.

 

"You have to, it's tradition."

 

Nicole rolled her eyes and downed the shot.

 

"Happy birthday, Haught." Wynonna smiled.

 

"You're getting soft on me, Earp."

 

The night went smoothly. Everyone drank, Nicole made sure she paced herself though. Gus brought out a cake a little later. The smile she gave Waverly, full of dimples and caring  eyes, was enough to make the smaller girl happy. She spent so much time planning tonight, she was almost waiting for something to go wrong.

 

"You did good."

 

Waverly jumped and turned around, taking her attention off of her girlfriend across the bar.

 

"Mr. Haught." She greeted. "Thank you."

 

He smiled. "Thank you for inviting me. I know I'm probably the last person she wants to see."

 

Waverly shook her head. "Actually, I think she's glad that you're here. Of course, she won't admit it but I think you can tell."

 

"You're good for her." He smiled again. "I'm happy she found someone like you. She deserves to be happy."

 

The shorter woman smiled and nodded as he excused himself to go say hi to Nicole. She watched as they exchanged a short hug. Nicole smiled and said a few words that Waverly couldn't make out. She could tell the older girl was glad her dad at least made an appearance.

 

Nicole brushed her way through the crowd over to her girlfriend. Wrapping her arms around her waist and kissing her sweetly.

 

"Thank you, again."

 

Waverly smiled and brushed a lock of hair from Nicole's face. "You're welcome."

 

"You wanna get out of here?" Nicole smirked and raised an eyebrow.

 

Waverly laughed. "You can't ditch your own party."

 

Nicole looked around the room. "I honestly don't think they'd notice, Waves. Half of them are well past wasted and Gus is happy to just have customers that will buy enough drinks to pay rent for the next six months-"

 

Waverly cut her off. "Okay. I get the point." She laughed.

 

Nicole smiled and grabbed her hand, dodging a few people as they made their way out the door.

 

Once outside, Waverly pulled Nicole closer. Her hand immediately tangling itself in red hair and pulling her girlfriends lips to hers. After a few minutes of making out against the side of the bar, Nicole pulled away and lead Waverly to her car.

 

"I think you should drive, I've definitely been drinking."

 

Waverly laughed and climbed in her jeep, starting the engine. She was very aware of Nicole's hand sliding up and down her thigh. Her fingers hot through her jeans.

 

She pulled into the driveway of her house faster than usual, quickly unbuckling her seat belt and climbing out of the car.

 

Nicole had her pushed up against the front of the house in no time. Her hands automatically sliding under Waverly's shirt, drawing small circles with her thumbs over her hip bones. Waverly's hands were searching for her keys in every pocket she could think of at the moment.

 

Finding them and pulling them out, she detached herself from Nicole. Turning around and attempting to unlock the door.

 

Nicole trailed open mouthed kisses from her jawline down to her shoulder, sucking lightly.

 

Waverly's breath was uneven, her hands were shaking and she could barely focus on one thing until she finally got the key into the door. Unlocking it and pulling Nicole inside.

 

"Upstairs." Waverly whispered breathlessly against Nicole's lips.

 

They barely made it up the steps before Waverly was reconnecting their lips. Nicole dropped back onto Waverly's bed, the smaller woman climbing into her lap.

 

The kisses slowed down, Nicole slowing their pace. Waverly kissed her softly but passionately, her fingers messing with the collar of Nicole's shirt.

 

The redhead reached her hands underneath Waverly's shirt, scratching her back lightly before settling on her hips. She slid her tongue across Waverly's bottom lip causing the smaller girl to moan, opening her mouth more and tightening her grip on Nicole's shoulders.

 

Waverly's hands slid down to the buttons on Nicole's shirt, fumbling with them before popping one open.

 

"Waverly." Nicole sighed.

 

"I'm sure." She looked into Nicole's eyes with all the trust in the world. "I'm so sure, I'm more than sure."

 

Nicole laughed playfully and nodded her head, connecting their lips. "Okay."

 

She reached the hem of Waverly's shirt, pulling it up gently and over her head. Her hands touching every inch of skin she could. She connected her lips to Waverly's shoulder. Trailing kisses from her collarbone up to the spot she _knew_ got a reaction out of her girlfriend.

 

They had spent many nights in this position. Granted, their clothes were left on and nothing ever went this fast. Nicole made sure she stopped herself before any thoughts like that popped into her head.

 

Waverly moaned, tilting her head for more access. Her fingers shakily unbuttoned the rest of the buttons on Nicole's shirt and pushed it off of her shoulders.

 

Nicole switched their positions, laying Waverly down on the bed before hovering over top of her. She slipped her leg in between the brunettes, Waverly's hips immediately raising in search of some kind of friction. Slipping her hands across Waverly's back, finding the clasp to her bra and giving her one last look before undoing it. She watched as the smaller girl sat up and discarded the piece of clothing, tossing it on the floor.

 

If Nicole had any air in her lungs, it was gone now. Her breath hitched as she looked at Waverly with desire and devotion mixed into one.

 

Sensing the nerves that Waverly now held, she smiled. She cupped Waverly's face and kissed her gently.

 

"You're so beautiful, have I told you that?"

 

Waverly smiled and kissed her again. "Not recently, no."

 

"Well you are."

 

The slow, gentle kiss heated up quickly. Nicole's hand sliding from Waverly's hips to her stomach to her ribs, drawing small circles on her side before reaching up and gently touching her breast. Waverly let out a soft moan that was music to Nicole's ears.

 

She placed feather light kisses on Waverly's neck creating a trail to her chest. She sucked a light bruise into Waverly's skin, soothing it with her tongue. Closing her mouth around Waverly's nipple and swirling her tongue over it. Paying the same attention to the otherside.

 

Waverly tightened her grip on Nicole's shoulders, scratching maybe a little too hard, causing a breathy moan from the redhead.

 

_Noted._ Waverly thought.

 

She bucked her hips when Nicole nipped at the skin just above her pants, raising her hips to help Nicole slide them off easier.

 

Nicole smiled when the lace came into view. Standing up and discarding her bra, along with her pants. She leaned back down and connected her body with Waverly's.

 

Waverly's hands slid from her back and down, cupping Nicole's breasts and gently squeezing. She wrapped her legs around the redhead, moaning when Nicole grinds down with her hips. A whole new feeling taking over from before.

 

They moved in sync. Kissing and touching where their hands could roam. Waverly smiled through soft, passionate kisses as Nicole's hand slides down her stomach.

 

She nods her head when Nicole pulls back and looks at her. The taller woman hooks her fingers in the fabric and slowly slides the lace down Waverly's legs.

 

Nicole kissed her lightly before moving down the bed. Kissing and nipping lightly at Waverly's thighs. She stopped inches away from where Waverly needed her most.

 

"Nicole." She groaned.

 

The redhead took a deep breathe and exhaled it evenly causing Waverly's hips to buck. Nicole smiled and kissed her hip, replacing her lips with her hands to keep the brunette from jumping too much.

 

Waverly's hand automatically found Nicole's hair, moaning when she felt her tongue pressed flatly against her.

 

Nicole flicked her tongue a couple times, listening to what got the most reactions out of Waverly. She teased a finger at her entrance before easily slipping it in.

 

The brunettes hand tightened in Nicole's hair, keeping her in place. It didn't take long for Waverly to be on the edge with Nicole's tongue and fingers working together.

 

By the sounds Waverly was making, she knew it wouldn't be long. She pumped her finger in and out a couple times before adding another one and closing her mouth around her, sucking gently.

 

Nicole could feel Waverly's nails breaking the skin on her shoulder blades but she didn't care, she kept going until she sent Waverly over the edge. The air filled with loud moans.

 

She slowed her pace until Waverly was done, riding her through her orgasm. She kissed her way up Waverly's body before kissing her breathlessly.

 

Waverly moaned, tasting herself on Nicole's lips did _things_ to her.

 

"Definitely gay." Waverly mumbled, still out of breath.

 

Nicole laughed. "Well, I hope it didn't take you this long to realize that."

 

Waverly laughed and shook her head, interlacing their fingers and kissing Nicole's knuckles.

 

"You okay?"

 

The brunette nodded, smiling a bright a smile. "More than okay."

 

Nicole laid next to her, wrapping her arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. Waverly kissed her cheek and then her neck and then her shoulder. Slinging her arm across Nicole's hips, messing with the band of her underwear.

 

"You're amazing, you know that right?" Waverly whispered.

 

Nicole laughed and turned her head to kiss Waverly. "I think you've just been dating too many shitheads."

 

"Oh, no. You're a shithead, too." Waverly nodded. "But an amazing shithead that actually cares and may be a little soft."

 

"If I say I'm not soft would I sound too much like Wynonna?"

 

Just then, they heard the front door open and shut, Wynonna yelling up the steps for her sister.

 

"Speak of the devil and she shall appear." Nicole muttered.

 

Waverly quickly got up and locked her door before pulling out two shirts and sweatpants from her dresser drawer.

 

"Here. You can change." She handed the clothes to Nicole, stepping between her legs at the edge of the bed.

 

Nicole's eyes raked up and down Waverly's naked body. Resting her hands on the smaller girls hips and pulling her closer, she leaned up and placed a chaste but sweet kiss on her lips.

 

"Get dressed before Wynonna comes banging on the door."

 

They both got dressed quickly, exchanging knowing glances at each other from across the room. They headed downstairs after deciding they looked partially presentable.

 

Wynonna walked out of the kitchen and gave them a weird look.

 

"What were you guys doing?"

 

Waverly's face flushed crimson, staring sheepishly at the ground.

 

Nicole cleared her throat. "Uh- Chemistry."


	18. XVIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realllyyy hate this chapter. I'll be uploading another chapter upon request from jaz and syd sjdjdf. it'll be up later so (:

"You guys have to help me, please." Wynonna begged.

 

She sat down in the chair at Waverly's desk and gave her sister her best puppy dog face.

 

"No way. If you want to take Rosita on a date then you have to figure it out yourself."

 

Nicole hummed an agreement into Waverly's stomach. She hadn't been feeling well this morning so her and Waverly skipped classes and spent all morning cuddled up in bed, Waverly forcing medicine down her throat.

 

"What a way to spend Valentine's day." Nicole complained.

 

Waverly didn't mind though. She didn't need some grand gesture from her. She was happy to just be together today.

 

"What are your plans for today?"

 

Waverly looked at her skeptically before catching on. "I'm not telling you just so you can steal our ideas."

 

Wynonna groaned into her hands. "Thanks for the help."

 

"Why don't you just ask her out already?" Nicole rolled over to look at Wynonna, keeping her arms wrapped loosely around her girlfriend.

 

"Because Nicole," Wynonna glared. "unlike you, I haven't had every girl falling at my feet since my first day of class. I actually have to _try_ to get the person I like."

 

Waverly gasped. "Untrue! I didn't even like her when we met."

 

"Lies." Nicole mumbled. "But if that's what helps you sleep at night then keep telling yourself that." She smiled, leaned up and place a kiss on Waverly's cheek.

 

The smaller girl rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her sister. "Why don't you pick her up and go do something you both like?"

 

"We both like drinking and parties." Wynonna stated flatly. "Not an ideal date."

 

"You're telling me you can't find anything else to do with Rosita than take her to a party?"

 

"If I could, why would I be here?"

 

\--------

 

After a couple hours of Nicole sleeping in Waverly's arms, she woke up feeling slightly better. Waverly insisted that she should rest to no avail.

 

"Nope. I got a date to take you on and I'm not letting a stomach ache stop that from happening."

 

"A date involving what exactly?" Waverly tried.

 

Nicole smiled and shook her head. "Nice try."

 

"I don't like surprises." She cried.

 

"Too bad. You'll like this one."

 

Waverly spent the entire rest of the day asking Nicole questions that would give her some kind of hint. The redhead, master of subject changes, didn't give in though. Around six Nicole told her to start getting ready, which Waverly did within ten minutes due to excitement. They walked out of the dorm hand in hand, a bright smile across Waverly's face.

 

"Is your stomach still upset?"

 

Nicole shook her head. "No. I'm feeling better."

 

Waverly knew she was lying. Nicole was usually really talkative and full of jokes but right now she was acting uncharacteristically quiet.

 

They got into Nicole's car. The redhead put it in drive and pulled out of the student parking area. She interlaced her fingers with Waverly's after turning the radio on low volume.

 

Waverly watched the cars fly past them as Nicole hummed softly to the music. She was practically buzzing with excitement, a million questions running through her head. Waverly's eyes lit up when they pulled into the small parking lot of an arcade on the outside of town. She smiled brightly at Nicole.

 

They stepped out of the car and into the cold winter air, Nicole shivering slightly when the wind hit her cheeks. They entered the building, the redhead paying for the coins they needed.

 

"We can come back and get more if we run out but this seems like a pretty safe amount." She held up the bag of fifty coins.

 

The smile that appeared on Waverly's face as she ran across the space to different games was childlike but made Nicole smile nonetheless. Making her girlfriend happy made her happy and she couldn't ask for a better person to spend the rest of the day with.

 

They spent a while on a few games like ski ball and an obnoxiously hard claw machine that Waverly just _had_ to play before moving on to basketball.

 

Nicole grabbed the medium sized orange ball and easily tossed it into the hoop a few feet back. She laughed as Waverly tried and missed several times, complaining that the game was rigged and Nicole had an advantage since she was taller.

 

"You just suck at basketball."

 

"That's not true. I'm good at the real sport and we both know that."

 

Nicole grabbed a ball and shot it in again. "Uh huh."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes and threw a ball roughly through the air, bouncing it off the backboard and onto the platform that was holding the balls. She groaned and stuck out her bottom lip, pouting.

 

"Here." Nicole handed her a ball. "Stop thinking so much into it. These balls are a thousand times lighter than actually basketballs. Toss it lighter."

 

Waverly sighed and threw the ball through the air. When it smoothly went through the basket she turned to Nicole with wide eyes. "I'm like a pro basketball player."

 

Nicole laughed. "I wouldn't go that far."

 

They spent a while on that game, Waverly getting way too excited when she made multiple baskets in a row. Eventually though, they moved on and planned on playing a round of pool before leaving.

 

_Planned._

 

That was until Waverly kept winning and Nicole couldn't let it go because she _knew_ she could beat her. They've played pool many times in the past and Nicole won almost every time.

 

"You should just give up at this point." Waverly commented as Nicole sunk the white ball in the far left corner.

 

"No way. When did you get so good?"

 

Waverly shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe I've always been good."

 

"No." Nicole gasped.

 

Waverly gave her an amused look. "I literally _grew up_ in Shorty's. I spent most of my life sitting around in that bar with nothing to do. Learning how to play pool was only the beginning of my entertainment."

 

Nicole gave her an exaggerated look. "You've been lying to me this whole time."

 

"No." Waverly stepped closer to Nicole. "It's not lying since you never technically asked. I just neglected to tell you something about me that you didn't know."

 

She tried being fake mad but once Waverly flashed her a smile she gave in. Kissing her quickly before Waverly finished the game and sunk her last ball.

 

Nicole drove towards the homestead. Waverly mentioned something about wanting to see Gus before heading back to campus and it was only roughly a ten minute drive from the arcade so she offered to come with.

 

Gus had grown on her, just like Wynonna – although you'd never hear her admit that. They'd gotten close over the small amount of time she's been around Waverly, something that made Nicole happy to be a part of their lives. The way she cared for Wynonna and Waverly like they were her own always put a smile on Nicole's face.

 

She slowly pulled down the dirt driveway, putting the car in park and shutting off the engine. Waverly leaned her head back against the headrest.

 

"It's so warm in here, I don't wanna move."

 

Nicole laughed and grabbed her jacket from the backseat.

 

"Okay." She reached in her pocket. "I got you a present but you have to promise not to cry or anything." She joked.

 

"You know I can't promise that." She turned in her seat to face the redhead.

 

Nicole pulled out a small box and handed it to Waverly with worried eyes. "I've never gotten anyone anything before so if it sucks just, please, pretend to like it."

 

Waverly laughed as she grabbed the box. Opening it with shaking hands. Inside was a necklace. Two white angel wings dangled from it freely.

 

"I remember the story you told on the rooftop. The one about standing really close to the edge." She breathed nervously. "I saw it in a store one day and it reminded me of that. Of you saying you felt like you were flying, kind of like an angel."

 

Waverly smiled through teary eyes and pulled the necklace from the box. She held it in her hands, a few tears falling from her cheeks. "It's beautiful." She whispered. "And I'm not just saying that."

 

Nicole laughed lightly. "Here." She took the necklace from Waverly as the smaller girl shifted slightly, lifting her hair from her neck so she could put it on her.

 

Once in place, she turned around. Grabbing it and staring at it happily.

 

"Thank you, baby." She leaned in and gave Nicole a small kiss, smiling.

 

"You're welcome."

 

Waverly kissed her again, this time not breaking the kiss. She cupped her girlfriends face and kissed her like it was the end of world, conveying every emotion that she couldn't through words.

 

Nicole kissed her back just as eagerly. Moaning lowly when Waverly nipped at her lip. The kiss quickly deepened, hands roaming where ever they could reach.

 

Like clockwork, Waverly slipped her fingers into Nicole's hair. Scratching lightly where her hair met her neck, pulling her as close as she could within the confined space.

 

Nicole slid her hand slowly up Waverly's leg, squeezing lightly at the top of her thigh.

 

The loud knock on the passenger side window pulled them out of their trance. Nicole pulled away slightly and redirected her attention to her hands, suddenly very interested in her fingers.

 

"We're never gonna get to have sex again." Waverly mumbled before rolling down the window.

 

Wynonna smiled apologetically through the window. "I'm pulling a Chrissy again, aren't I?"

 

For past month _everyone_ had been interrupting them. It didn't matter where they were. Even at Nicole's apartment someone somehow found a way. Waverly couldn't be _that_ mad considering no one _knew_ that they were having sex. But lately it had been getting slightly annoying that every time they turned a corner someone was there.

 

"No." Waverly shook her head. "What's wrong?"

 

Nicole put her jacket on as Waverly got out of the car. She followed suit, locking the doors behind her.

 

"I think I _really_ like Rosita."

 

Nicole snorted but straightened her face when Wynonna glared at her. "I thought we already knew this."

 

"No. We knew she likes Rosita but not _really_ like." Waverly joked.

 

Wynonna gave them both a death stare as they walked towards the house. They follow Wynonna through the door hand in hand, still slightly laughing.

 

"Okay, so you _really_ like her. So what?" Nicole stated.

 

Wynonna stopped and turned around quickly, shushing the two girls as Gus walked through the doorway into the living room.

 

"I wasn't expecting you two today."

 

"I just stopped by to say happy Valentine's day and give you this." She handed her a card that she made herself.

 

Gus smiled sweetly and gave her a hug, kissing her on the top of her head. "Thank you."

 

"Way to one-up, asshole." Wynonna muttered.

 

"What did you give her?"

 

"A hug."

 

Nicole snorted again, standing behind the two girls.

 

"Shut up, Haught."

 

"Sure."

 

Gus pointed to the necklace around Waverly's neck. "A gift?" She looked between the two.

 

Waverly smiled and nodded, looking down at the necklace. "Yeah, Nicole got it for me. It's kind of an inside story."

 

"Well, it's beautiful."

 

Nicole grinned. "Thank you."

 

"Can we go upstairs now?" Wynonna interrupted.

 

Waverly hugged Gus one more time and followed her girlfriend and sister up the stairs and into Wynonna's room. Waverly and Wynonna sat on the bed while Nicole sat in the small chair Wynonna had by her desk.

 

"Okay, so." She started. "Rosita and I went on a date. We went to the aquarium because she likes fish or whatever and then we went out to eat before going to the science museum."

 

"Sounds nice." Nicole commented thoughtfully.

 

"It was." Wynonna agreed. "Then, I drove her back to the dorms and we ended up kissing."

 

Waverly and Nicole stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

 

"Okay...?" Waverly trailed.

 

"We kissed and when I tell you I've never kissed anyone like _that_ before."

 

Waverly grimaced. "Wynonna."

 

"Not like that." She rolled her eyes. "I mean like - I don't know. It felt nice and comfortable and it wasn't forceful. I mean, it wasn't like that before either but this time it was different. Like we weren't rushing to do anything or prove anything to each other."

 

Waverly gave a knowing smile at Nicole.

 

"Oh, you've got it bad." Nicole laughed.

 

Wynonna groaned and fell back onto the bad. "I know. Help me."

 

"What?"

 

"You never had feelings for anyone up until you met Waverly." She gave her sister an apologetic look. "Which means you somehow found a way to just ignore it. Teach me how."

 

"I didn't have to ignore anything because the feelings weren't there. Anything I had with anyone else didn't involve feelings."

 

"You're not helping."

 

"Wynonna-" She huffed. "I mean, if you like Rosita you're not gonna be able to just _ignore_ it."

 

"And she likes you back, so what's the problem?" Waverly asked.

 

Wynonna stared at the ceiling, worrying her bottom lip. "I don't want to hurt her or get hurt." She whispered.


	19. XIX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my favorite Wynonna centric chapter. anyway okay goodnight

Wynonna wasn't good with emotions. Maybe that's an understatement. Wynonna is _terrible_ with emotions. So when she actually started feeling _something_ towards Rosita she really didn't know how to deal with it. Waverly and Nicole tried to help, they gave really good advice but it didn't help ease her nerves in the slightest.

 

Which is how she found herself on a familiar bar stool at Shorty's downing glasses of whiskey.

 

"What's on your mind?" Gus stood across from her behind the bar cleaning glasses.

 

Wynonna slumped over as her head fell into her hands, huffing. "Too much."

 

"Does it have anything to do with why you and your sister have been being so secretive lately?"

 

Gus wasn't as clueless as everyone made her seem. Anytime Waverly and Wynonna were together Wynonna was pulling her sister off into another room for hours whispering and groaning.

 

"We are not being secretive."

 

Gus huffed out a laugh. "Okay."

 

"Waverly made this look so easy, I swear." It was an inside thought that somehow made it out of her mouth causing her to freeze and avert her eyes from the woman in front of her.

 

It took her a minute, shuffling through the memories in her head, to figure out what Wynonna was referring to.

 

"You're coming out?"

 

Wynonna's eyes went big, nearly popping out of their sockets. "What? I- no. Maybe?"

 

Gus put the towel in her hand down on the counter, waiting patiently for Wynonna to find her words.

 

"I kissed my roommate while drunk on a stupid dare that _Waverly_ thought of." Wynonna groaned thinking back to what she could remember of the night. "Then, we went to Robin's cabin and got drunk again and what happens? We kiss — and when I say kiss I mean _kiss._ Then Valentine's day comes around and I got the bright idea to take her on a date, which she loved by the way — turns out I'm great at planning things when I try — then we kiss again. But since then, we haven't talked about it. She walks around our stupid room with her stupid hair and stupid smile and stupid jokes and it's like it didn't even happen."

 

"Maybe you should breathe-"

 

"And I can't say anything because I don't even know what it is exactly I'm feeling. No offense to Waverly but her and her stupid girlfriend didn't help that much with figuring it out-"

 

"Wynonna!" Gus lowered her voice when everyone in the bar turned their attention towards them. "Sweetie, breathe." She covered Wynonna's hand with hers. "Everything you're feeling is normal and if I remember correctly, didn't Waverly go through the same thing as you? What with questioning your feelings and all that. It's to expected."

 

Wynonna smiled slightly. "I just wish I knew how she was feeling."

 

"Have you tried asking her?"

 

Then incredulous look the brunette was giving her made Gus laugh.

 

"No."

 

"I think you should do that. It's just a suggestion but it might actually help." She gave Wynonna a reassuring smile.

 

"Thank you."

 

"What's the point of having a bar if I can't give my drunk customers advice?" She laughed. "Now, go make sure your sister and her girlfriend aren't having sex in the bathroom, please. That door has been locked for five minutes now and someone might have to pee."

 

"I don't think they're having sex yet." Wynonna laughed as she got up from the stool and walked across the open space to the bathrooms. She sighed before banging on the door.

 

"Nicole get your gross hands off of my sister and get out here before I bust down the door and make you pay the damage expenses."

 

She heard shuffling before the door opened, both girls glaring at her as they walked out.

 

"You're annoying." Waverly mumbled.

 

\--------

 

"We should watch a movie."

 

Wynonna was sitting on her bed, books laid out in front of her.

 

"I'm studying." She looked over at Rosita.

 

"You know you're not supposed to work in the same place you relax, right? It confuses your brain or something."

 

Wynonna rolled her eyes. "My brain isn't confused."

 

Rosita sat up and walked across the room, plopping down next to Wynonna. "Sooo."

 

"So?"

 

"Which movie?"

 

The look on Rosita's face was enough for Wynonna to close her books and move them aside, making room for the girl. "It doesn't matter. Pick one."

 

"Shrek?" She grinned hopefully.

 

Wynonna groaned. "No."

 

"Why not?"

 

"Rosita, you've watched Shrek like fifty times since you've been here. I'm not listening to that stupid soundtrack one more time."

 

"You're just a hater."

 

"And you're a child."

 

"For your information, my grandma loves Shrek. So what does that make her?"

 

"Blind."

 

Rosita hummed in agreement, smiling.

 

"What about Shrek 2?"

 

Wynonna huffed and fell back onto her bed. "Fine."

 

They got twenty minutes into the movie before Rosita was cuddled up next to Wynonna with her head on her shoulder. It took ten minutes after Rosita slung her arm across Wynonna's waist for them to stop watching the movie completely and move onto _other_ things.

 

Rosita had her lips on Wynonna's, slipping her leg between hers before Wynonna, reluctantly, stopped her.

 

"I'm sorry, it's just we- we should talk." She breathed out, not moving her hands from Rosita's waist.

 

"Why are you apologizing?" She smiled sweetly at Wynonna. "You don't have to do that."

 

"Do you like me?" She blurted out.

 

Rosita laughed and repositioned herself so that she was sitting up. "I think it's pretty obvious, yeah."

 

Wynonna sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. "I've never dated a girl before, or done anything with a girl before."

 

"Okay."

 

"Okay and I've also never talked about my feelings before with literally anyone that's not Waverly or Gus so if none of this comes out right we can just go back to kissing and act like I never said any of it."

 

Rosita chuckled. "All right."

 

Wynonna looked down at her hands, fumbling with her fingers. "I like you. Like _really_ like you and that's _really_ confusing since I've only ever liked guys, I think. I don't know." She sighed. "I just know I like you, okay? I like spending time with you and being around you and-" She looked up at Rosita. "kissing you. But I haven't been in an actual relationship since freshman year of highschool and I'd barely call that a relationship. The point is, I wanna be with you but I don't want to hurt you or get hurt in the process of trying to do that and I have a tendency of doing that — hurting people, I mean."

 

Rosita smiled and grabbed Wynonna's hand. "I think you're jumping the gun a bit, hon'." She laughed. "I'd never force you to do anything that you're even a little bit unsure of doing and we don't have to call whatever it is we're doing a relationship until you feel comfortable calling it that. I mean, you've only taken me on one date." She joked.

 

Wynonna laughed at that. "Yeah well I don't see you taking me on any so you can't really talk."

 

"It stings." She put her hand over her heart. "No but seriously, you're overthinking a _lot_ and that's okay. But I think that you should tell me what exactly it is you want so we're at least in the same book, if not the same page."

 

"Can we just, I don't know. Take things slow?"

 

"Of course."

 

"I mean, not like grandma on the highway slow, but medium paced?"

 

Rosita laughed. "Yes, Wynonna."

 

Wynonna smiled and kissed her sweetly.

 

They spent the rest of the day in bed exchanging sweet glances and innocent touches while Rosita pointed out all her favorite parts in the movie, singing along to whatever songs came on.

 

\--------

 

Everyone sat around the small booth in the corner of Shorty's laughing and making jokes. It felt like forever to Waverly since they'd all been together like this. Without any drama, talking freely about any and everything. She smiled as Dolls teased Wynonna about actually having feelings.

 

"I cannot believe nobody knew." Doc gestured between Rosita and Wynonna.

 

"I knew." Chrissy said. "I walked in on them making out the night we all played hide and seek."

 

"Still can't believe you didn't tell everyone." Wynonna joked.

 

"Waverly and I knew, too."

 

"You only knew because your girlfriend can't keep secrets." Wynonna backfired.

 

"Considering you're still convinced they're not having sex, I think she can." Rosita's hand flew up to cover her mouth, matching Waverly's wide-eyed expression.

 

"You're _what_!?" Wynonna directed her attention towards Nicole. "I _will_ kill you-"

 

"No." Nicole held a finger up, interrupting her threat. "We're not _having_ sex. We _had_ sex."

 

"That's literally the same thing."

 

"No it's not. We haven't had sex since my birthday because apparently everyone decided to make it a thing to interrupt us no matter where we're at."

 

Wynonna's jaw dropped. "The- you- _chemistry_!?"

 

Waverly's face instantly went red. "Can we please change the subject."

 

"I'm not done with you." Wynonna pointed a finger at Nicole.

 

"I don't understand the big deal, everyone has sex in relationships." Dolls said.

 

Wynonna picked up a salt packet and threw it at him. "Shut up!"

 

"Okay! Okay." Waverly stopped them. "I have news. Well, Nicole has news but I know about the news and I'm too excited to not mention it since she's taking her sweet time."

 

"Let me find out you guys are engaged and I really will kill you."

 

"We're not." Nicole rolled her eyes. "I'm inviting you all to a party."

 

"You're excited about a party?" Jeremy asked, watching as Waverly shook her head.

 

"It's not a college party. It's more like a benefit type thing for my dad's business. He told me I could bring you guys which means you're coming whether you like it or not."

 

"Do we get to dress up?" Chrissy's eyes lit up at the idea.

 

"Yes."

 

"Can we bring dates?" Dolls asked.

 

"Right, like you have someone to bring." Wynonna teased.

 

"You never know."

 

"You can bring dates as long as they're not someone obnoxiously annoying or loud. Like I said, it's a benefit. So, please, be on your best behavior and don't get shitfaced off bubbly." She looked at Wynonna.

 

"Why are you looking at me? Your girlfriend gets wasted faster than I do."

 

" _Waverly,_ will be with me most of the time so I don't have to worry about her over-drinking."

 

"Hey!" Waverly nudged Nicole lightly. "Unfair. Why do I have a chauffeur but no one else does."

 

Nicole rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, guys. Don't do anything uncharacteristically stupid to piss of my dad or I'll never hear the end of it."

 

"You just really have no faith in us huh." Rosita joked.

 

"No, not in the slightest."

 


	20. XX

"I thought your place was nice, this is next level." Chrissy looked around the room, mouth agape as Nicole gave them a short tour before everyone started crowding in.

"Yeah, my dad doesn't hide the fact that he has money."

"What's the point in having it if I can't buy myself nice things?"

Everyone turned towards the deep voice as Nicole's dad walked into the room.

"I'm Nicole's father. It nice to finally meet all of you formally."

They all introduced themselves except for Waverly and Dolls, having already met him before. Chrissy must've thrown out a dozen compliments about the space before Wynonna and Rosita inevitably dragged her away.

"People should start arriving soon, I'd like for you to be there to greet them with me." He told Nicole. "Waverly can come, too. I'm sure they'd love to meet her."

Waverly smiled and nodded as Nicole muttered a small "okay" as he left the room.

"You don't have to." Nicole informed her.

"No, it's okay. First impressions and all that."

They spent twenty minutes greeting guests as Nicole introduced Waverly to each one of her dad's associates. He'd never call any of them, except for a few, his friends and Nicole respected that on some level. Most of the people were only here for appearances anyway.

Everyone broke apart eventually. Chrissy coming up to Nicole every now and then talking about how good fancy rich people food is and how she wishes she could have it all the time. Nicole for the most part thought a lot of it was gross, not understanding the appeal of over priced food.

A blonde woman walked up to them, a glass of champagne in hand smiling. "Nicole."

Nicole paused for a moment before smiling. "Eliza, oh my god. Hi, how are you?"

"I've been good, can't complain. How are you?"

"I'm good, great actually." She turned to Waverly, placing her hand on her back. "This is my girlfriend, Waverly."

Waverly smiled at the woman. "Hi."

"Girlfriend, huh?" Eliza raised her eyebrows. She took Waverly's hand and shook it lightly. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Nicole's childhood best friend." She winked.

Waverly doesn't know if it was the tone of her voice or her body movements towards Nicole but something about the woman threw her off.

She watched patiently as Nicole and Eliza caught up. Laughing about old memories, boyfriends and girlfriend's from high school, inside jokes.

"You remember that time that you drank an entire bottle of wine to yourself and decided you wanted to break into the school." She laughed. "I had to call your dad before the cops put you in hand cuffs and dragged your ass away."

Nicole laughed. "The look on his face when he showed up, I thought for sure I wasn't gonna be allowed out of the house for months."

Waverly was glad to see her happy. She loved seeing her smile and laugh freely around people she was comfortable with. But Eliza's hand on her arm and loud laugh was annoying her.

"Do you remember when you liked that girl back in middle school, what was her name?"

"Kate."

"Kate, right." She recalled. "You came to me crying about how you didn't think you were a good kisser."

"And you offered to teach me? Yeah. Leave it up to you to be part of my gay awakening." Nicole smiled.

"I was her first girl kiss." Eliza turned towards Waverly. "Anything she knows now is all thanks to me."

Waverly smiled tightly, faking a laugh. "Well then I have to say thank you."

She excused herself after that, making up something about food and finding Wynonna. She moved across the room and into the kitchen, distancing herself from the noise happening around her. She took a few deep breaths, calming herself. 

"Stop being so jealous, Waverly." She chastised herself. "This is what got you into trouble last time. Nicole hasn't seen her friend in a while, let them be happy." She paced around the open space mumbling to herself.

"Waves," Wynonna walked into the room. "God, I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Sorry, I had to get away from all the people."

"Chrissy is drunk." Wynonna grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the room, down one of the hallways. "And I mean drunk. She kept saying something about the alcohol here being top shelf."

"What? Did she not listen when we said best behavior."

They entered a room that looked like an office. Chrissy was sitting on a couch on the far left side of the room laughing as Rosita and Jeremy tried giving her water.

"Waverly!" She slurred loudly.

"Chrissy." Waverly glared. "What did you do?"

Chrissy tried to stand up but nearly fell over, laughing when her friends grabbed her. "There was so many drinks I wanted to try them all just to see if they're as good as the food." She smiled. "It's better."

Waverly took the cup that Jeremy was offering her full of water. "Here." She said smiling. "Try this drink, tell me if it's any good."

The blonde grinned widely, accepting the cup and taking a large drink. She grimaced and shook her head. "No, that's gross."

"Okay. What if Jeremy goes to the kitchen and gets you something else? Will you drink it?"

Chrissy nodded her head, holding on to her friends shoulders. Waverly tipped her head towards the door, looking at Jeremy. He walked out of the room for a few minutes before returning with more water in a different cup.

They all eventually got Chrissy to drink a full glass before giving up, deciding some is better than none.

"Nicole is gonna kill her." Wynonna whispered.

"I think she's a bit too preoccupied at the moment to even notice I'm not out there."

Wynonna gave her a questioning look to which Waverly shook her head. They all looked up when they heard footsteps approaching them. Nicole's dad walked into the room, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw them all gathered around the blonde.

"Was it the wine?" He asked. "I made the mistake of telling her most of the bottles were imported, didn't I?"

Waverly sighed, relieved that she wasn't about to get chewed out by her girlfriends dad for letting her best friend get black out drunk at a fancy benefit.

"You're not gonna tell Nicole, are you? She told us to pace ourselves and clearly Chrissy didn't listen to a word she said because well." Wynonna gestured to the girl slumped back on the couch, eyes closed and drooling.

He laughed. "No. There's a spare room upstairs. Left side, three doors down; if you can manage to get her up there without anyone noticing she can sleep it off for a while."

"Thank you." Waverly smiled, turning to her friend and gently shaking her awake. "Come on, we're gonna find a bed for you to take a nap in, okay?"

"I'll do it. Go find your girlfriend." Wynonna offered, taking Chrissy's arm and wrapping it around her shoulders.

Waverly smiled slightly letting them go. She almost forgot Nicole's dad was in the room until he cleared his throat, causing her to jump and let out a small squeak.

"I'm sorry." Waverly grimaced. "I should've kept an eye on her. She's just so enamored by all the fancy-" She stopped when he held his hand up.

"There's no need to apologize." He smiled knowingly.

"Can I ask you a question?" The second the words left her mouth she immediately wanted to take them back. When he nodded his head she almost said nevermind. "What's with Nicole and Eliza? I mean, I know they're friends, obviously. But there's more, right?"

She watched as he sat down, taking the spot Chrissy once occupied. "They've been best friends since they were little. Eliza was one of Nicole's first friends. She's been there through everything. Every time Nicole couldn't come to me, she went to her. For a while, I thought something was going on, too. But Nicole is adamant on the fact that they're just friends." He paused. "Are you worried about something?"

Waverly sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. I mean, there's not a reason to be. Right?"

"No, I don't think there is. But I think if it's something that bothers you, you should talk to her about it. You two are great together and I haven't seen Nicole look at anyone the way she looks at you. There's something special between you guys."

"Thank you."

\--------

The party went as smoothly as expected. Waverly let Nicole and Eliza catch up, she even talked to Eliza a bit. Finally settling on the thought that there isn't anything to be jealous of. Eliza was great for Nicole. They'd been friends for a long time and Waverly could understand the way they act around each other. Wynonna and Dolls got Chrissy out of the party without anyone noticing. Rosita texted Waverly and said everyone made it home safely once everything settled down. Waverly stayed with Nicole afterwards to help clean up, even after her dad had informed them that it was all taken care of.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Nicole asked as they settled into her car.

Waverly smiled and shook her head, her eyes darkening slightly. "I think, that this is the one time no one is gonna interrupt us doing anything. So, no."

Nicole smirked and grabbed her hand, resting it in her lap. "My apartment it is."


	21. XXI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear Adri,  
>  I am so sorry sjsjdj

Waverly knew, logically, that there was nothing to worry about between Nicole and Eliza. But every time she saw them together her mind instantly went to the worst possibility. She'd barely seen her girlfriend for the past two weeks. Every time they tried to make plans Nicole had something already planned with Eliza. So, logically, when Waverly got upset about it she felt like she had a reason.

 

At first, she was happy that Nicole had a friend outside of their little group. Someone that she could talk to who didn't know everything about everyone else. Someone that had an unbiased opinion because she wasn't friends with any of them. She loved seeing Nicole happy and smiling. She loved hearing about her day and the excited tone that was held in Nicole's voice.

 

But then it got too much — almost annoying. She could barely get a word in without Nicole mentioning Eliza. It was like her world revolved around the blonde and it didn't matter what Waverly was saying. She told herself not to get mad, not to get jealous. _Don't ruin a good thing because you can't get your head out of your ass and be happy for her._ That all changed when Nicole forgot about plans they had made prior to today.

 

Waverly planned a date night for them a few days ago. Making sure Nicole didn't have plans and that it was a few days in advance just in case she did. Nicole agreed to it. Saying that she'd be there and she was all Waverly's for the night.

 

Nicole glanced at her vibrating phone.  Waverly didn't miss the name that popped up on the screen. Rolling her eyes as Nicole crawled out of bed and answered. She listened to the one sided conversation quietly. Reminding herself to stay calm and not get upset.

 

"Eliza's car broke down outside of Purgatory, I offered to go get her. I hope you don't mind?" Nicole picked up her keys from Waverly's desk, slipping her jacket on.

 

"Eliza doesn't have any other friends?" She couldn't stop herself. Grimacing as the words left her mouth.

 

"What?"

 

_Well there's no going back now._

 

"I'm sorry. It's just- I don't know. You guys have been spending a lot of time together recently. You'd think you're her only friend."

 

"Waves, we haven't seen each other for years. We're just catching up."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes and sat up. "Everyday?"

 

Nicole gave her a questioning look before it clicked in her head. "You have a problem with Eliza." It wasn't a question, it was more of a realization.

 

"No." Waverly corrected. "I don't have a problem with _Eliza,_ I have a problem with you basically blowing me off every time she calls or texts or needs something."

 

The redhead scoffed. "Of course." She nodded. "She's my friend, Waverly. I don't get mad every time Chrissy calls you."

 

"Well, yeah. Because that would be unreasonable considering me and Chrissy don't hang out _every_ single day — and I definitely don't cancel plans with my girlfriend just because Chrissy wants to hang out."

 

"You're being ridiculous."

 

A small part of her knew she was but an even bigger part of her didn't care. "Am I? Every time we see each other it's _Eliza_ this and _Eliza_ that, Nicole. You know, it was different before she came around."

 

Nicole glared at her. Waverly _almost_ felt bad but she stood her ground, crossing her arms and glaring back.

 

"Whatever, Waverly." She grabbed her things and walked towards the door. "Let me know when you're done being an asshole."

 

Waverly groaned angrily and threw her pillow at the door as it closed.

 

\--------

 

She had spent the rest of the day in her room. She attempted to do homework but just got even more frustrated when she couldn't figure out an answer or a way to start a paragraph or _anything._ _She_ was half way through reorganizing her desk when there was a knock at her door.

 

_"_ Go away!" She yelled.

 

The door opened and Wynonna walked in.

 

"Since when do you knock?"

 

Wynonna chuckled. "Since I realized I didn't wanna walk in on anything I'd regret."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes. Instantly getting angry at the thought of Nicole. She slammed her desk drawer closed.

 

"Whoa, easy there." Wynonna sat down on the edge of her bed. "What's going on?"

 

She turned her chair towards her sister, sighing loudly. "Nicole and I got into a fight."

 

"Okay.." Wynonna nodded, urging her to continue.

 

"She's just so-" She groaned. "aggravating."

 

"You're telling me."

 

Waverly glared at her before continuing. "Her and Eliza are like reconnecting or whatever — and that's great! I'm glad she has a friend. But it just seems like we can't have a minute where it's just _us._ She's always hanging out with her and blowing off our plans to go be with her and it's just _annoying._ I can't even mention it to her without it causing an argument."

 

Wynonna snorted. "So, let me get this straight — or gay." She laughed to herself. "You, innocent cute little Waverly, got into an argument with your girlfriend, biggest player possibly ever, about another girl?"

 

"It's not funny."

 

Wynonna nodded. "You're right. It's not funny." She smiled, clearly amused. "Okay. So, what did she say when you brought it up?"

 

"That I'm being an asshole."

 

"That's it?"

 

"She said that I'm being ridiculous and that her and Eliza are just friends. Then, she called me an asshole and left."

 

"Maybe she just needs time to cool off, you know?" Wynonna shrugged. "In no way am I defending her calling my little sister an asshole but — it's Nicole. She doesn't really do relationships and she's doing one with you. I don't think she really knows what that means. You guys should just have a civil conversation with no arguing."

 

"Easier said than done." She smiled slightly. "Tell me about you and Rosita though."

 

Wynonna grinned and scooted further back on Waverly's bed. Waverly joined her and listened as Wynonna went on about how great her _girlfriend that's not her girlfriend_ is.

 

Waverly was happy for her sister. The way she talked about Rosita, you could tell they were good for each other. Even if Wynonna wasn't sure of it herself yet. Rosita was patient with her and never pressured her into anything. She let Wynonna move at her own pace and was by her side supportively the entire time.

 

She smiled to herself as the realization hit that for once, Wynonna had her shit together while Waverly didn't.

 

They talked for the rest of the night. Wynonna sharing stories about things that had happened the past few days. Eventually, they settled into Waverly's bed and watched a movie. The night that started as a supposed-to-be date between Waverly and Nicole turned into a movie night between Wynonna and Waverly. A distraction that Waverly was entirely too grateful for.

 

The next day, just like clockwork, everyone settled into a booth at Shorty's. Ordering their usual order of coffee, tea and odd combinations of food. The jokes flowed freely and laughter filled the room.

 

Gus watched from afar with a smile on her face. It didn't matter what was happening between anyone within the group, they always got together and talked like nothing was happening around them. She watched as Wynonna ripped off a piece of bread and threw it at Jeremy, earning a glare in return and laughter from everyone else.

 

Nicole wasn't talking to Waverly. Something that the shorter girl somewhat understood. She kept her opinion on the situation though. Not straying from what she said the night before. Nicole's friendship with Eliza bothered her. Nicole could ignore her all she wanted but it wouldn't change the fact.

 

The awkwardness in the air wasn't missed by anyone. No one wanted to say anything though. Except Wynonna, who obviously wasn't gonna keep her opinions to herself.

 

"Anyone notice that wayhaught is ignoring each other?" Subtlety not a thing.

 

"They're even on opposite sides of the table, must be serious." Chrissy joked.

 

Nicole rolled her eyes. "You guys done?"

 

"If you two are done being mad at each other." Wynonna ripped off another piece of bread and threw it at Nicole this time.

 

She picked the bread off her pants and threw it back, landing her shot right on Wynonna's forehead. "Maybe you should stay out of it."

 

Dolls sat up in his chair, stretching his arms across the table. "That's enough. Wynonna shut your mouth, Nicole stop being a dick and Waverly-" He glanced at the smaller girl and smiled. "Well, you didn't do anything so sit there and look pretty."

 

Nicole scoffed but kept quiet. She saw the look in Waverly's eyes. Confidence that she didn't do anything wrong. That what she said had been the right thing and it didn't matter if Nicole agreed with her or not. She wasn't going to take it back.

 

\--------

 

Nicole walked into Shorty's, her eyes scanning the room in search of one person in particular. She found Waverly sitting on a stool talking to Gus. Her long hair flowing down her back, a smile on her face laughing at something the older woman had said. Nicole missed that smile, that laugh. The way her eyes lit up when she was happy. She got lost in the sight of her. The cool air from the door being open filled the room, bringing her back to reality.

 

She cleared her throat. Waverly pulled her eyes away from Gus, turning to Nicole. Her eyes hardening, ready to put up a fight. Nicole wasn't here to fight though. She wanted to make things better. She missed her girlfriend. Even if she felt like she didn't do anything wrong, she was willing to talk about it and work it out; find a solution.

 

She shoved her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket and made her way towards the shorter girl. Gus offered her a drink and she declined, instead sitting down on the stool next to Waverly.

 

There was a long moment of silence before Waverly spoke. "If you're here to argue I'm not-"

 

"I didn't come here to fight. I just came here to talk." She interrupted.

 

Waverly sighed and rested her elbows on the bar. "Good because I _really_ hate fighting with you."

 

Nicole let out a breathy laugh. "Me too."

 

The silence filled the air again causing Nicole's stomach to turn.

 

"Waves-" She stopped herself, taking a breath. "I'm sorry for calling you an asshole."

 

"I'm sorry for causing you to call me asshole."

 

Nicole laughed. "Eliza and I- we really are _just_ friends. There's nothing going on between us."

 

Waverly sighed. "Nicole, I don't care that you guys are friends. I love that you have someone outside of us to talk to. But you spend literally _all_ of your free time with her. It's like we barely get to see each other."

 

"I know and I'm sorry. It's just, I haven't seen her in such a long time and I guess I just got caught up in what it felt like to be around someone like her again."

 

"Like her?" Waverly raised an eyebrow.

 

Nicole instantly regretted her choice of words. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant someone who knows me." She stopped herself, grimacing. "Okay, this really isn't coming out right."

 

"You really enjoy digging yourself deeper into the hole that you're already in, don't you?"

 

"Look-" Nicole placed her hand on top of Waverly's. "I just need to know what you have a problem with and I'll fix it. I swear."

 

"I just told you. I don't like that you're blowing everyone, including me, off to go and hang out with her. We planned a whole night to ourselves and you left before the night even started."

 

"She needed help." Nicole defended.

 

Waverly sighed and pulled her hand away. "You're really not getting this, are you?"

 

"No, not really."

 

"You spend all your time with her and then when we see each other, which is rare nowadays, you only talk about her. About what you and Eliza did and what you guys plan on doing the next day and _this joke that Eliza told was so funny, oh my god, Waves._ " She mimicked.

 

"So, you want me to stop hanging out with her?"

 

"No." Waverly shook her head. "I would never ask you to not be friends with someone, Nicole. I just- I don't know. You don't see what I see. You didn't see the way she looked at you at your dad's party. You didn't-" She huffed. "You know what? Nevermind. It's pointless."

 

"No, it's not. Waverly, talk." Nicole tried.

 

"I don't trust you and her together." She said defeated.

 

Nicole was taken aback at her words. "You don't trust me?"

 

"That's not what I meant-"

 

"You know, Waverly. It's fine. You don't have to worry about me and Eliza anymore because you don't have to worry about _us_ anymore."

 

Waverly furrowed her eyebrows in disbelief. "You're breaking up with me?"

 

> "I can't be with someone who doesn't trust me and obviously, that seems to be the case."


	22. XXII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why I ended this so weirdly sjsj

Feelings are a strange concept and it never really made sense to Waverly. As a child, you're happy. It doesn't matter what happens to you. It doesn't matter if you didn't get that toy at the store or your parents said you couldn't go to your friends house. Eventually, happiness always came back to you.

 

When you're young, the biggest thing you want is to grow up. To get older and do all the things your siblings get to do. No one warns you about what getting older means, though. They don't warn you about loss and heartbreak and about how one day, you'll lose your best friend. Whether it be to death or they simply just leave. Your parents don't tell you because they want you to hold onto that happiness for as long as you can.

 

But God, was Waverly wishing someone had told her. Going twenty-something years without getting her heart broken was something she was thankful for, until she wasn't. _Maybe if it would've happened before, I'd take it better now._ She thought. Even though she knew that wasn't the case, she couldn't help but hate the people around her for not preparing her sooner.

 

Sure, everyone warned her of who Nicole was. _The biggest player on campus_ replayed in her head multiple times. But Nicole hadn't played her, had she? She stayed when she wanted to run. She let Waverly break down every wall she spent years building. She altered every thought in her head and ignored every bad feeling that she had towards relationships and asked Waverly out anyway.

 

It didn't matter how much Waverly tried — she couldn't hate Nicole. She couldn't hate her for doing what she thought was best for her and her happiness.

 

So instead, she hated herself. She blamed herself for them breaking up. Because if she hadn't been jealous they would still be together, right? Logically, she knew it wasn't her fault and she was just voicing her issues. But she didn't care about logic at the moment.

 

She'd spent the past two days in bed. She skipped all of her classes and missed practice yesterday — _really_ not wanting to see Nicole. Up until Chrissy came barging into her room, Waverly was almost positive she could keep it up for at least three more days without anyone noticing.

 

Chrissy gave her a sad look when she took in Waverly's state. Her eyes were red from crying so much, her hair was a mess from not brushing it.

 

"You look like shit." Chrissy commented.

 

"I'm sick, go away."

 

The blonde gave her a look saying _I'm not falling for that bullshit_ and stepped further into the room. She sat next to Waverly on the bed.

 

"What's going on, Waves?"

 

"Nothing."

 

She could cry more. She could scream and go on and on about how she hates Nicole while Chrissy comforts her and tells her everything will be okay and _heartbreaks are just a part of life._ But she didn't want comfort, she didn't want advice; she wanted to be alone.

 

"Okay." Chrissy nodded. "You don't have to talk about it, I'm not gonna push you. But I am here and I am willing to listen; for anything."

 

Waverly sighed and gave in. " _Wayhaught_ is over."

 

"That sounds disgusting coming from your mouth." Chrissy grimaced. "Maybe we should change the ship na- wait what?"

 

"Nicole broke up with me and before you ask, yes I'm fine. No, I don't want to talk about. Can we just go to this stupid game and get it over with?"

 

In all honesty, she wasn't going to go the game. But she had to now because there was no way Chrissy was going to let her stay here and wallow in self pity.

 

Chrissy opened her mouth and then snapped it shut. Her brain trying to process the information. "Yeah. Okay, yeah. Let's go to the game."

 

\--------

 

Nicole adverted her eyes when Waverly entered the gym. She didn't miss the sad look that the girl held. There was a huge part of her that wanted to run up to Waverly and take it all back. Tell her about everything she feels for her and make it okay again. Press the back button and go back to how it was before — before the pointless arguments and misunderstandings — but she couldn't. She wouldn't let herself.

 

The first day was hard. She instantly threw herself back into her old ways. Into the person she was before Waverly came along. She went to the bar just off campus and hit on any girl that seemed remotely interested. The only difference was, she couldn't act on it. No matter how many times she tried, she couldn't get Waverly out of her head. The thought that she was faithful to Waverly even when they weren't together aggravated her.

 

So, she put all of her time and effort into basketball. She spent hours yesterday in the gym shooting shots that she knew she could not make and got mad at herself when she missed. Eventually, Dolls found her and dragged her away offering to buy her coffee if she just said something — anything — about how she was feeling.

 

She did. She opened up in ways she's never done before; talking for hours about how much she missed Waverly just after two days. Never once in her life did Nicole think she'd be beating herself up over a girl. Even Shae didn't hurt this bad.

 

The game started and Nicole immediately pushed herself. She made every shot she threw, not caring about what play was happening, not caring about who was around her and who was watching. The sound of Waverly's voice cheering in the background only made her push harder.

 

Wynonna passed her the ball, running in front of a girl from the opposite team, blocking her from getting to Nicole. Another girl came up beside Nicole as she was dribbling, knocking the ball from her hand and taking it down the court. Usually, Nicole followed the rules. She loved rules. There was a reason for them; fair play. But with the anger and hurt bottled up inside, it was only a matter of time until she exploded. So when she stuck her foot out to trip the girl, she blamed it on just that; feelings. Feelings that she didn't have up until recently. Feelings that, honestly, she could live without.

 

The referee blew his whistle, signaling a foul on Nicole's end. Her coach stuck his hands up in a 'time out' motion, turning to her and telling her to get off the court. She rolled her eyes and groaned, reluctantly moving to the sidelines.

 

"What the hell are you doing?" He yelled.

 

"I didn't do anything!"

 

"You're benched for now. Sit down and take a breather. You're pushing yourself too hard and going off on your own. You have a team, Haught. Act like it."

 

She sighed and sat down on the bench. She rested her head in her hands, rubbing her eyes before focusing her attention on the game in front of her. Wynonna was smoothly dribbling the ball across the court, making shot after shot but giving other players the opportunity also.

 

"Hey, wanna talk?"

 

Nicole's view was blocked by blue and white pom-poms. She glanced up at Chrissy. "Not necessarily but I'm guessing you're going to anyway."

 

"Not if you don't want to." Chrissy sat down on the bench next to her, avoiding the death glare Nicole's coach was giving her.

 

"How's Waverly?"

 

"How are you?"

 

Nicole shrugged. "I'm fine."

 

"You two are so similar it's uncanny."

 

They spent the next five minutes in silence before one of the other cheerleaders came over to drag Chrissy back to where she came from. Nicole didn't have anything to say. It was her fault and as much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew it was true. She couldn't blame Waverly, it didn't matter how much she wanted to. Chrissy didn't push her. Instead, she laid a supportive hand on her shoulder and gave her a sad look before she left.

 

Nicole was benched for the rest of the game, refusing her coaches offer to put her back in. She wasn't in the right head space and there was no reason for her to ruin everyone else's night by making them lose because she couldn't keep her shit together.

 

She stayed in her seat when everyone left the court. She stayed when people tried to get her to go out for drinks. She stayed while Waverly and Wynonna talked and she stayed put when Wynonna sat down on the bench next to her silently.

 

After a few minutes, she felt a stinging pain in her arm from where the brunette punched her. "Ow. Dude, what the fuck?"

 

"You broke up with my sister!?" Wynonna punched her again, slightly softer. "I knew something was going on with you."

 

Nicole leaned away when Wynonna raised her hand. "Okay! No more punching, please."

 

"What's your problem?"

 

"You're hitting me!"

 

Wynonna rolled her eyes. "Not what I meant, dumbass. Why'd you leave her?"

 

"I didn't _leave_ her. She can come talk to me any time she wants." Nicole defended. "It just didn't work out, okay? Shit happens."

 

"No." Wynonna shook her head. "Shit doesn't _happen_ and especially not with my sister."

 

Nicole didn't respond. Her head fell forward into her hands.

 

"You two need to get your shit together. You were doing good. You've worked out every problem you guys had up until now, I don't understand why you can't figure something out."

 

"It's not that easy, Wynonna."

 

"Well, make it easy because you're both friends with everyone else and no offense, but this _awkward-not-talking-to-each-other_ shit is not gonna go on forever without someone getting annoyed."

 

Nicole spent the rest of the week doing what she normally did. She studied, without Waverly this time. She went to practice, got coffee with Doc and Dolls and occasionally got shitfaced in a random bar until someone called her an Uber, sending her home. Most of the nights that she wasn't wide awake were spent throwing up whatever alcohol was left in her system from the night before.

 

Today, she decided to distract herself. She didn't want to drink anymore. She didn't want to try washing away her problems with the burn of vodka. Eliza offered to come over today and Nicole almost said no. She didn't necessarily want to see anyone. But she needed human contact that wasn't sweaty, alcohol drenched frat boys in a bar trying to convince her that she's still not gay.

 

"So, it's my fault?" Eliza had listened as Nicole told her the entire story of that day — the reason her and Waverly weren't together anymore.

 

"No." Nicole corrected. "You didn't do anything."

 

"Kinda sounds like it is."

 

"It's not." Nicole stopped throwing the basketball she had in her hands up in the air. "Waverly was jealous of nothing, right? I could've fixed it and I chose not to listen. It's not your fault, you weren't even there."

 

"Well, it's her loss. You're a catch and you can literally have any girl at Calgary. If she doesn't see that then we need to get that girl some glasses."

 

Nicole smiled at her friend. "Thanks."

 

\--------

 

Waverly ran her fingers across the spines of the books. The bookstore was always her happy place. She loved reading, even if she didn't get to do it as often as she liked. There was something special about the way someone can put so many emotions into just a few sentences.  The way a good book can go on forever if it wanted to. When you read something so good that you can reread it over and over again and not get bored, Waverly loved that feeling.

 

She picked up a few books that she read before and looked over the hard covers. Putting them back on the shelf after a few minutes; deciding that it was self care not to buy something she already had in paperback.

 

"Waverly!" She jumped at the voice. "Oh my god, hi!"

 

Waverly smiled at the blonde. "Eliza, hey. How are you?"

 

There was pent up feelings towards the woman that she wouldn't let show for the sake of being the bigger person. So instead, she decided to be fake smiles, overly cheerful Waverly.

 

"I'm good. I'm guessing you're not?" The blonde quirked an eyebrow, the smile dropping from her face. "You know, breaking Nicole's heart and what not."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes. "Should've known."

 

"Look-" Eliza started, crossing her arms. "I've never seen Nicole hurt like this before. Which means she actually cared about you, obviously you can't say the same. Stay away from her unless you really enjoy hurting the people you love."

 

"You're really over doing the whole _mean girl_ thing here." Waverly waved in her direction. "I have no intentions on hurting Nicole anymore than you're saying I have. Your words are pointless, Eliza."

 

> There was an overwhelming feeling of wanting to blow up on the girl. To say everything that she's been feeling for the past week and go into detail about how much it hurt her, too. About how break ups aren't just one sided and it doesn't only affect one person. She refrained though. She knew Eliza didn't care and the only reason she was doing this was because she was Nicole's apparent best friend. She didn't need to explain herself to someone unwilling to listen.


	23. XXIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cut this chapter into two parts because it was getting really long and i didn't want another chapter one situation. it took me so long to proof read this but the second part will be up in a little bit. 
> 
> if you think we're moving forward you're probably wrong but you didn't hear it from me ;)

"Hey, what are you doing for spring break?" Wynonna had her arm wrapped around Rosita's shoulders.

 

The three of them had been walking around downtown Calgary for around an hour now. The weather was finally starting to pick up. It was the beginning of April which meant most of the days recently consisted of rain and thirty degree weather. But today it was almost fifty out and they were definitely taking advantage of it.

 

Waverly sighed happily. "Two weeks off of school spent reading and helping Gus at Shorty's."

 

"Reading and work?" Wynonna fake gagged. "Gross."

 

"Well, what are you guys doing?"

 

Rosita gave Wynonna a knowing look. "Partying."

 

"Gross."

 

Wynonna took her other arm and wrapped it around Waverly's shoulders. "Oh, come on. You _love_ parties. You can meet a new girl." She wiggled her eyebrows.

 

"Wynonna." Rosita elbowed her.

 

The taller girl grimaced. "Too soon?"

 

Waverly cracked a small smile. "No. It's been a month, I'm over it. No more crying and complaining about Nicole." She said cheerily.

 

Wynonna gave her a question look. "Okaay."

 

"Good for you." Rosita grinned. "I think it's good that you're happy."

 

"Yeah, me too." Wynonna agreed.

 

They walked around for a few more minutes until Rosita saw a jacket in a store window that she just _had_ to get. They spent a half hour running around the small store. Picking up random items and trying them on playfully. Waverly was thankful for the distraction. She could say she was over Nicole as much as she wanted but it wouldn't make a difference. She wasn't. But for the sake of her friends, she didn't allow herself to make it obvious.

 

She couldn't make her friends choose a side. Neither her or Nicole could. It was awkward at first but eventually, the air cleared and everyone went back to their usual routine. They all still had lunch together occasionally. Nicole and Waverly would joke around every now and then — the sting was still there though. Whenever Nicole left early to go see Eliza or talked about her weekend with Eliza, anything and everything Eliza, Waverly couldn't stop the sinking feeling in her stomach.

 

For a while, she tried convincing herself that she could let it go. But a part of her — a really big part — couldn't. She didn't understand why. Never once before was she the jealous type. She trusted easily, even if it got her hurt. Even if it was sometimes seen as a flaw. It was something people liked about her. Her ability to give anyone and everyone the benefit of the doubt, no matter what the situation. There was just _something_ about Eliza, though. She couldn't trust her and it didn't matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the image of her and Nicole laughing and smiling and _touching_ out of her head whenever the blonde was brought up.

 

They all gathered around the small booth at Shorty's, a few of them pulling up chairs to add more room. Gus served them drinks and took orders of food, even if she already knew everyone's choice by heart.

 

Gus would never say anything but she knew what was going on between Waverly and Nicole. It wasn't as obvious anymore but it was still slightly prominent. Wynonna, ever the gossip, couldn't keep her mouth shut when she came to the homestead one night. She'd talked for hours about how she wants to kill Nicole for making Waverly feel even an inch of pain.

 

The woman stayed quiet, though. It wasn't her business and if Waverly wanted to talk, she would.

 

"Okay, we have news." An excited look spread across Jeremy and Robin's face.

 

Everyone quieted down, turning their attention solely to the two.

 

"So, after very careful consideration and planning, we decided to move in with each other."

 

Wynonna snorted, causing beer to fly from her mouth. She put her glass down on the table. "You what? Didn't you just start dating like five seconds ago?"

 

"Wynonna, we've been dating since November. It's April." Robin stated.

 

"Well, it doesn't feel like it."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes playfully. "I think it's great." She smiled. "Do you have any idea where?"

 

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, there's an apartment building right off campus. Close enough to walk if anything happened. We meet with the owner in a few days."

 

"And-" Robin started. "even if it goes south, we're always going to be friends so we could always just be roommates."

 

Waverly didn't miss the look that quickly sparked on Nicole's face. It was only there for a second but she learned how to read the redhead months ago.

 

Deciding to let it go, she turned back to the conversation. "We can all help you guys move in."

 

"No way, dude. You can't just make plans for other people." Wynonna looked at Waverly.

 

"We don't even know if we're getting it yet." Robin stated. "But in the event that we do, Wynonna will be the only one helping us move in since she's, clearly, a really good friend." He joked.

 

"Assholes."

 

"Okay." Nicole stood up. "When the time comes, I'll be there to help."

 

Jeremy smiled at her, murmuring a small _thank you._

 

"Where are you off to?" Dolls asked.

 

She looked between the group, her eyes landing on Waverly. "I- uh. I have plans."

 

_There it is_ _._ Waverly thought. _Eliza._

 

"Plans? Other than lunch with us?" Doc joked.

 

Nicole smiled playfully. "As much as I love spending time with you guys, I do have other friends."

 

Waverly almost muttered _other friend, you mean friend. You have one friend that's obviously more important than the rest of us._ But she didn't. She kept it to herself, she had to. She wasn't going to be the cause of drama within their small group.

 

"Have fun." Waverly smiled tight lipped before grabbing Wynonna's beer, taking a big gulp.

 

"Order your own." Wynonna snatched her drink out of her sisters hands.

 

Nicole said her goodbyes to everyone before heading out of the bar. The sun was close to setting so the air was slightly colder than it had been during the day. She wrapped her jacket further around her body, crossing her arms across her chest.

 

She made it to Eliza's apartment in record time, putting her car in park and locking the doors behind her. They'd planned a movie night two days ago because, despite what Waverly and almost everyone else thinks, they haven't really seen each other. Nicole has been trying to distance herself from Eliza, hating the fact that their friendship tore her and Waverly apart the way it had. She wasn't the type of person to stop being friends with someone just because she was asked, even though Waverly didn't technically ask, but a small part of her knew Waverly was right.

 

Eliza greeted her at the door. Sporting a smile and a glass of wine in hand. "You're late." She joked.

 

"Yeah, sorry. I was at Shorty's with everyone and I lost track of time."

 

"Everyone, being?" The blonde quirked an eyebrow.

 

Nicole walked into the kitchen, Eliza following shortly behind. She grabbed a beer from the fridge, opening it and taking a sip. "Everyone, being everyone." She answered simply.

 

"Waverly?"

 

Nicole gave her a questioning look. "Yes. Waverly happened to be there."

 

Eliza took a drink, nodding her head.

 

"What?"

 

"Nothing." Eliza smiled.

 

Soon enough, they settled into the couch. Clicking on the TV and queuing _The Conjuring._ Eliza insisted it had to be a scary movie if it was going to be a proper movie night. It had been somewhat of a tradition. As a child, whenever they stayed at each other's house they always ended up watching a scary movie. Of course, they'd only make it half way through before they started talking about whatever topic came to mind.

 

Nicole tried to stay interested, she tried keeping attention to the screen. But her mind always ended up drifting off. It was an inevitable routine, a battle between her heart and her mind.

 

She knew break ups were hard, from an outside perspective of course. But she really never expected it — the pain, the regret — to last this long. Usually, she prided herself on how fast she could get over a girl and move onto the next. But it was _Waverly_ and that's what made it different.

 

Every other girl didn't have that smile, those bright eyes. The ability to make everyone's mood around you improve by just a few words. The way _she_ conveyed her love; without fear, without questions, without doubt.

 

"Penny for your thoughts?"

 

Nicole shook her head, clearing the haze from behind her eyes. "It's nothing."

 

She tried to steer clear of the whole Waverly topic whenever she was around Eliza. She could tell the blonde didn't have great feelings towards Waverly and she didn't want to be the reason to make those feelings worse.

 

"Nicole, talk to me."

 

Nicole got up, heading towards the kitchen and grabbing another beer. "No, thank youuu."

 

"It's about Waverly, isn't it?" Eliza walked into the kitchen.

 

She paused for a moment before saying anything which gave it away that it was.

 

"Okay, spill."

 

"There's nothing to spill. I just miss her."

 

Eliza raised her eyebrows. "Whoa."

 

"What?"

 

"Nicole Haught just said she misses a girl."

 

Nicole rolled her eyes, smiling. "Shut up."

 

"But seriously, if you need to talk. I'm here." She offered.

 

"That's it. I miss her, I don't know what else to say."

 

"Do you want to fix it?"

 

"I don't think she does."

 

Eliza rolled her eyes. "Then let her go." She sighed. "Seriously, Nicole. You've been beating yourself up over this girl for what, a month, now? There's better girls out there."

 

Nicole snorted. "Uh huh. Like who?"

 

The blonde smirked and leaned back against the kitchen island. "Me but that's just for starters."

 

"Me being around you is the reason I got into this whole mess, I don't think that makes you better." She joked.

 

"Okay but you want to move on, right? What better way to do that than with your best friend." She smiled.

 

"You're starting to make me think you're actually serious."

 

Eliza shrugged and pushed herself off the counter towards Nicole. "And if I am?"

 

It took a minute for Nicole's brain to register what was happening and by the time it did, it was too late. Eliza was already kissing her, sliding her hands to Nicole's waist.

 

Nicole pulled away, tears immediately stinging at the edge of her eyes. "What are you doing?"

 

"I thought it was obvious."

 

She furrowed her eyebrows and moved to the other side of the kitchen. "No. No no no no no." She stammered. "I told Waverly she didn't have to worry about you because I _thought_ she didn't."

 

"She didn't because you two were together, you're not now. What's the big deal?"

 

Nicole scoffed. "The big deal?" She forced the tears back to where they came from. "I lost my _girlfriend_ because of you. Girlfriend, Eliza. Not just some girl I was messing around with. Someone that I actually _have_ feelings for."

 

She grabbed her keys off the counter, slipping on her jacket that was laying across one of the stools. Quickly making her way to her car, she shoved the keys in the ignition and threw the car in drive. The tires spun as she pulled out of the gravel driveway.

 

Ten minutes later, she found herself at the nearest bar downing shots of whiskey and whatever was offered to her. She knew it was unhealthy — masking her problems with alcohol wasn't a common thing for Nicole — but she was three shots down and she wasn't planning on stopping any time soon.

 

The bartender took her keys, muttering something about being a bad person if he let her drive. She didn't care, though. She had two things on her mind — which drink she was ordering next and how much she hated herself for not seeing the obvious.

 

The logical side of Nicole knew it wasn't her fault, technically at least. She was just oblivious to everyone else around her, apparently. She couldn't help wishing she'd done something different.

 

That's the thing with breakups — you don't realize all the things you could've done different until it's over. Until you're crying thinking about how happy you were, how if you'd just did _this_ different then _that_ would've never happened and if _that_ didn't happen then you wouldn't be here. Getting over someone involved a lot of self doubt, self hate, blame. But Nicole didn't want to get over Waverly.

 

It didn't matter how much she wishes the pain wasn't there and that it would go away, she didn't want to get over Waverly. She didn't want to be that person that talked about how _it just didn't work out_ when someone asks why.

 

Nicole pulled her phone out of her pocket. Everything on the screen was blurry but she knew the routine by heart. She found Waverly's contact and pressed the call button, putting the phone up to her ear.

 

She looked around the crowded bar as she stepped outside, searching for somewhere more quiet.

 

_"Nicole?"_

 

"I miss you." She slurred into the phone.

 

_"You're drunk."_ She could see Waverly rolling her eyes on the other end of the phone.

 

"But I still miss you."

 

When Waverly asked who Nicole was with, she answered _no one._ She declined when Waverly offered to come and get her, out of fear of saying something stupid but Waverly insisted. That's how the call ended — Nicole going back inside and paying her tab. Attempting to get her keys from the bartender, he wouldn't budge, she finally got out of the bar.

 

Waverly found her leaned up against the front wall by the entrance, eyes closed and taking deep breaths in attempt to not throw up the contents of her stomach.

 

"If you puke in my car I'm never gonna forgive you." Waverly joked.

 

Nicole cracked open her eyes, squinting when everything started to spin. "I can't make any promises."

 

Waverly held up a bottle of water. "I got you a present." She smiled.

 

Gratefully, Nicole took the bottle. Opening it and taking a few slow sips. "I'm sorry."

 

"Come on." Waverly held out her hand. "Let's get you home."

 

Nicole interlaced her fingers as she stumbled across the parking lot to Waverly's jeep. She was thankful that the shorter girl didn't ask her a million questions. She could already feel the headache she'd have in the morning and just being in the same vicinity as Waverly was enough to keep her happy, despite it all.

 

They got to Nicole's apartment in what felt like years to Nicole but was only barely twenty minutes. Waverly helped her out of the car and into the building. They reached Nicole's floor and she could practically feel the air change between them. She knew the question was on the tip of Waverly's tongue and she also knew that Waverly was doing everything in her power to not ask.

 

"You can say it." She said as she entered her apartment, Waverly following a few feet behind hesitantly.

 

"Say what?"

 

Nicole sighed as she took another drink of water, immediately finding the aspirin in her medicine cabinet. "Whatever it is that you want to say."

 

Waverly shrugged. "I don't have anything I want to say."

 

"Speak now or forever hold your peace." She took two aspirin and turned to Waverly.

 

The brunette sighed, sitting down on the arm of the couch. "Are you okay?"

 

Nicole raised her eyebrows, surprise in her eyes. "What?"

 

"Are you okay? I mean, everyone keeps asking me how I am but I want to know how you are."

 

"I'm-" _Fine._ She thought. She could say she's fine and lie, or she could tell Waverly the truth. The truth that could hurt her. "I don't know."

 

She walked into her room, stripping herself of her jacket and shoes. Rummaging through her drawers until she found a comfortable pair of sweatpants and shirt that she could sleep in. Waverly walked in a few minutes later, crossing her arms and leaning against the door frame. She averted her eyes when Nicole took off her shirt, throwing it in the hamper next to her closet.

 

"I don't think you're fine." Waverly mumbled.

 

Nicole looked at her, picking up her sweatpants. "And why is that?"

 

"Because you got drunk and out of everyone you could've called, you called _me._ " She sighed. "Your ex girlfriend."

 

She slid on her pants and turned towards Waverly. "Thanks, I wasn't aware of our status. Glad we cleared that up." She said sarcastically. 

 

"Nicole, I'm serious. What happened?"

 

The redhead sighed, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "Eliza kissed me."

 

Waverly didn't say anything. Her heart stopped and she felt her stomach fall to her feet. But she didn't — she couldn't — say anything. The words wouldn't come out.

 

Nicole didn't miss the look on her face. The way her eyes held nothing but pain behind them, tears unwillingly bottling up. She stood up and walked towards Waverly, flinching when she took a step back.

 

"She-" Waverly cleared her throat. "Did you-"

 

"No!" Nicole cut her off. "I didn't kiss her back and we didn't do anything, I swear. I left and went and got drunk."

 

Waverly nodded, still unsure of what to say. So many thoughts, so many emotions, were bubbling up inside her. "Okay."

 

The tone of her voice broke Nicole. It was soft and most people wouldn't notice, but there was a crack of pain behind it. Like she was being torn down from the inside out and she couldn't do anything about it. Like every single hope she once had, was now lost.

 

"Waverly, I'm sorry."

 

It took a second before all of that pain turned to anger and Waverly started pacing the room, listing off threats towards Eliza that only Wynonna would say. "I'm _actually_ going to kill her and not in a Wynonna kill her kind of way. I mean _kill_ her, she-"

 

"Okay, Waves. Calm down." Nicole grabbed her by her shoulders, stopping her in her tracks. "If you kill her, I'm now held accountable because I just heard every plan you have about killing her and I love you but I can't go down for murder with you."

 

Waverly's eyes got big, her mouth opening and closing multiple times. Nicole furrowed her eyebrows before her jaw dropped, realizing what she had said. She let go of Waverly, taking a step back. "I-"

 

"You love me?"

 

"What? No." She scoffed.

 

Waverly rolled her eyes, smiling. "You totally do. You love me."

 

Nicole covered her ears, making loud noises and squinting her eyes. "Lalalalalalalala."

 

Waverly stopped her. Pulling her hands away from her head, interlacing their fingers. "First, I'm telling Wynonna that you said it before I did. You just won Rosita twenty bucks."

 

"Wha-"

 

"Second," She paused. "I need time — and I know that's not really something someone wants to hear after telling someone they love them — but I do need time. I just found out the reason we broke up wasn't just me being dumb and jealous. That something, one sided, was actually going on and I _really_ can't get the image of you two kissing out of my head right now."

 

Nicole nodded. "Okay."

 

Sensing the fear behind Nicole's voice, Waverly smiled. "It's just time, Nicole." She reassured. "I'm not telling you that I never want to get back together, I'm just telling you I need time to deal with everything I'm feeling."

 

"So you do want to get back together?"

 

"Yes. Now, can we go back to you saying I love you first."

 

"No!"


	24. XXIII 1/2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's only two chapters left so live it up while you can ladies and theydies

The start of spring break was more stressful for Waverly than anything else. She picked up shifts at Shorty's to help out Gus but every time some college frat boy or stuck up rich snob came into the bar Waverly wishes she wasn't such a good person. If it were up to her, she wouldn't let them in. But Purgatory prided itself on the ownership of Shorty's. The bar was good for business. Everyone wanted to see the place where the great Wyatt Earp had his last drink.

 

Every time someone came in looking for the story, they were pointed right to Waverly. Her last name had many stories, privilege and hate. No one seemed to be able to get past the fact that Waverly was, in fact, an Earp. Her cheerful smile and bright personality, a great contrast to the stories from the past. Wyatt Earp was a legend in some eyes but a curse in others.

 

She'd been at the bar three days in a row and ten people already came up to her and asked about her last name. She didn't understand why anyone would want to come to Purgatory for spring break. Why waste your time in such a small town with minimal things to do when you could be on the beach with your friends drinking and getting in trouble?

 

Gus walked in from the back, relieving Waverly of her duties. "You go, have fun or something. I heard the bookstore has added a few new things. Maybe you can check it out?"

 

"Sounds like you're trying to get rid of me." She joked.

 

She was grateful though. Happy to get out and do something. The days were starting to get warmer, she could walk around with just a long sleeve shirt or a jacket over one of her many crop tops without freezing half to death.

 

Making her way towards the bookstore, she stopped and grabbed a coffee on the way. Purgatory and their small stores were something she'd always love, no matter how much she complained about how small the town is and the closed minded people. She loved it here.

 

She walked into the bookstore, greeting the owner like always before looking through the new selections. She didn't find many that she hasn't read before but one or two would suffice until everyone started heading back to Calgary for classes.

 

Out of the corner of her eye, a familiar face caught her attention. She almost didn't say anything but something drew her towards the dark haired girl.

 

"Shae?"

 

"Waverly!" Shae smiled and put the book she was looking at aside. "How are you?"

 

"I'm good." She smiled. "I didn't know you came to Purgatory?"

 

"Yeah. Every now and then I visit. I have a few friends here."

 

They talked for a little while, Waverly mentioning places in town that she might love to see, books that are some of Waverly's favorites and college.

 

"How's Nicole? I haven't talked to her in a while."

 

Waverly couldn't help but feel guilty. She hadn't spoke to the redhead since that night, minus a few texts back and forth to make sure she was alive. She wanted to, she _really_ wanted to but a part of her couldn't let it go. She didn't blame Nicole. According to her, it was all Eliza's doing and she couldn't hate her for something she didn't cause.

 

"Well, the last time I spoke to her she was doing okay."

 

Shae gave her a questioning look. "Wanna talk about it?"

 

Waverly sighed and sat down at a small table towards the front of the store. There were bookmarks in a neat pile stacked on the middle, she picked one up and started messing with it. Shae sat down, giving her a reassuring smile.

 

"We kind of, sort of, broke up a few months ago."

 

The darker haired girl raised her eyebrows, surprise spreading across her face. "I'm sorry. That's horrible."

 

"Yeah." She breathed. "But then something happened and we talked, I told her I needed time but I really haven't talked to her since."

 

"Why not?" She paused. "I'm sorry if that's too personal, you don't have to tell me anything."

 

"No, no. It's fine." She smiled. "Her friend, Eliza," Shae nodded her head knowingly. "She kinda came back into Nicole's life, which I was fine with at first because of course I want her to be happy. But then, I don't know. It all kind of changed and I got jealous, we broke up. Then Eliza kisses her and I just _can't_ get it out of my head."

 

Shae breathed, taking all of the information in. "Did she want Eliza to kiss her?"

 

"As far as I'm aware of, no."

 

"Do you want my advice?"

 

"If you're willing to give it, yes. Any advice is good advice, right?"

 

"I think it's completely reasonable that you have the feelings you do towards that situation. Eliza is, well, Eliza. She's always been almost protective of Nicole, even when her and I were dating or whatever you'd call it. But I don't think Nicole sees her as anything more than a friend." She explained. "Also, the way Nicole is with you is different than she's ever been with anyone else. She _really_ likes you-"

 

"Loves. She told me she loves me."

 

Shae's eyes went big, smiling. "No way."

 

"Uh huh, and I didn't say it back even though I really _really_ wanted to."

 

"Because of the situation? Waverly, if she told you she loves you then she _does._ Trust me. Nicole doesn't do feelings and one of the first things I learned when I met her is how fast she runs when she realizes she has said feelings. If she's willing to work it out with you, then she's serious. I promise you."

 

Waverly smiled gratefully. "I can't believe I hated you at one point in time."

 

"You what?"

 

Waverly grimaced. "I uh, may have been jealous when I first found out you and Nicole used to be a thing when I saw you guys together."

 

Shae laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not after your girlfriend. Even if I did come off as a bitch, I'm sorry."

 

She smiled and mumbled out _it's fine_ pausing before speaking again. "Can I ask a question?"

 

"Of course."

 

"If it's too personal, you can just make up a lie or something. But what were you always speaking with Nicole about?"

 

Shae smiled. "My father's company was going downhill, he asked me to talk to Nicole about a merger of mine and her dad's company. It was a good deal business wise but they're terrible partners."

 

"So, let me get this right." Waverly nodded. "I was jealous because you were talking business with my girlfriend. Nice."

 

They both laughed. They talked for a little longer before parting ways, Shae mumbling something about having dinner plans. Waverly didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day so she made her way back to Shorty's, she wanted to make sure they didn't need anymore help before heading home.

 

She took in the familiar smell of the bar. Despite the constant fragrance of booze, there was something that felt like home here. Gus gave her a look as she smiled and walked towards her.

 

"I thought I told you we didn't need you."

 

"I just came by to make sure."

 

"Well, everything here is under control. I don't think it'll pick up much tonight and I'm closing early anyway. I have some errands I need to run."

 

Waverly offered to pick up whatever Gus needed but was quickly shot down and told to go home. She'd been working too much and spring break was supposed to be just that, a break. Not days spent working morning to night and dealing with the same people she had to see at school.

 

She walked out of the bar after she said goodbye to Gus, just like she had before. This time though, she ran into the one person she hasn't seen in what felt like forever but had only just been two weeks. Suddenly, the warm air around her turned cold and any that was left in her lungs had left.

 

Nicole stood off to the left of Waverly, talking with a few girls she didn't recognize. Waverly's eyes trailed from the smoke leaving her lips to the cigarette in hand. She sighed. Nicole had never smoked before so to see her doing it now gave the brunette a wave of disappointment and sadness mixed into one.

 

The redheads eyes found hers, any conversation she was taking part in long forgotten. She said something to the small group before walking over to Waverly, ditching the cigarette along the way.

 

"Hi." She breathed.

 

"You're smoking."

 

"I _was_ smoking. I'm not right now."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes. "So technical."

 

Nicole smirked and leaned against the side of Shorty's, still facing Waverly. "I should've known you'd be here."

 

"I'm sorry for not talking to you."

 

"You said you needed time. I don't hold any grudges towards that fact."

 

Waverly sighed. "You smoke now."

 

"Would it be too cliché to say, I lost you and gained a habit?"

 

The brunette shook her head. "You didn't lose me."

 

Nicole paused a second before saying, "I told you I love you and you kind of left."

 

"That sounds like a grudge to me."

 

Nicole shook her head, smiling at the shorter girl.

 

"You didn't lose me, Nicole. I just needed space."

 

"Needed? Past tense."

 

The way Nicole paid attention to every word Waverly said made her smile. It was something she loved about Nicole, yes _loved._ But she couldn't bring herself to say those words.

 

"Yes, past tense. I talked with Shae today and-"

 

"Wait, you saw Shae?"

 

"Uh huh. You could've told me what was going on, by the way. It would've led to way less problems."

 

Nicole smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

 

Waverly shifted her weight from one foot to the other, unsure of what to say and how exactly to say it. She watched as Nicole's fingers flicked the lighter in her hand nervously.

 

"Say what's on your mind, Waverly."

 

The brunette sighed. "I think that- that first off, if you- we want us to work, then we have to start talking to each other. Not arguing or getting mad and ignoring the other person."

 

"So, you're saying you still want to be with me?"

 

"Only if you throw that pack of cigarettes in your pocket away because as hot as it is to see you smoke, it's gross and I'm not kissing you with cigarette breath."

 

Nicole smirked. "So you won't kiss me now?"

 

Waverly grabbed the edges of Nicole's leather jacket, tugging lightly causing Nicole to step forward. She leaned up and placed a kiss on Nicole's cheek. Smiling as she pulled back, tapping the lower left pocket where the almost full pack of cigarettes sat. "Get rid of them."

 


	25. XXIV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to the lovely @3amInChicago on Twitter for proof reading this for me <3 I suck at keeping up with my own books. 
> 
> If you've ever seen that episode of friends where Rachel and Phoebe know Monica and Chandler are together and start fucking with them to get them to tell them, this is sort of similar.

Nicole sighed as Waverly's alarm went off, signalling it was time for her to get up and get her ass to class. She wrapped her arm tighter around Waverly's naked body.

 

"Please, don't get up. We can skip our classes, no one will notice."

 

Waverly snorted. She lifted her head a bit and placed gentle kisses to Nicole's neck down to her shoulder. "Unfortunately, I have an exam today and I can't miss it."

 

Nicole hummed contently. "You can make it up."

 

She whimpered when Waverly went to get up, abandoning the sheet that was wrapped around her body. "I can't and I won't. Besides, what kind of influence would you be if you made me skip class just to have sex with you?"

 

"I never said sex, you said sex. So what does that make you?"

 

Waverly laughed, leaning down and placing a kiss on Nicole's lips. "Get dressed and out of my room before Wynonna comes barging in."

 

Nicole sighed and got up, grabbing a pair of her stolen sweatpants from Waverly's dresser. "You know, telling them might be better. No more sneaking around."

 

Waverly snorted, once again. "Yeah, right. Tell them what? We're not even together, I don't think telling my sister that we're just sleeping together would be a great idea. Remember, she still dislikes you."

 

"You can say hate." Nicole laughed, grabbing Waverly's waist. "Besides, we do way more than just have sex."

 

"Yeah, like what?"

 

"Study."

 

Waverly shook her head, an amused look on her face. "Convincing."

 

Reluctantly, they pulled away from each other and got ready for class. Nicole's was an hour later than Waverly's so she didn't have to head there for at least another thirty minutes. They both said their goodbyes as Nicole walked out the door, cutting it close with one last kiss. She turned the corridor with a grin on her face.

 

They decided to take things slow, which obviously wasn't the case now. Waverly still had a few things to work on and Nicole had to get better at communicating and listening. They agreed they'd work on it together and they were; very slowly. Neither of them cared though. They liked the idea of no one knowing, it meant no one was giving unsolicited advice and opinions about anything. Everyone thought they were actually _just_ friends.

 

Nicole pushed the down button on the elevator, taking a step back and waiting. The doors opened and Chrissy walked out, almost running right into Nicole, not paying attention to anything but her phone.

 

"Nicole?"

 

"Hello." She smiled.

 

"You're here early. Are you here for Waverly? I think she has class in like ten minutes."

 

"No, I uh- I'm just leaving."

 

"Waverly's?"

 

Nicole stammered for a second, her mind trying to think of something. "Uh- no."

 

Chrissy squinted her eyes, "Uh huh."

 

The redhead quickly got in the elevator as Chrissy moved around her, walking the opposite way of Waverly's room. While chastising herself for not coming up with something better.

 

The day went quickly, after classes everyone gathered at Jeremy and Robin's new apartment, the one that they _had_ gotten. Nicole still remembers them coming into Shorty's, exciting smiles plastered on both their faces. They announced the news and everyone congratulated them. Wynonna making a groaning noise in response to helping them move but everyone knew she was secretly happy for them both.

 

"Okay, okay I'm here." Waverly yelled, running up to where everyone's cars were parked.

 

Chrissy gave her a questioning look, glancing between Nicole and Waverly.

 

"Hey, Wynonna. Can I talk to you?" The blonde didn't look away from Waverly.

 

Nicole's eyes went big, her mind instantly running back to this mornings events.

 

"What do you want?"

 

Chrissy pulled Wynonna away from the group, fat enough so that no one could overhear what was being said. "Wayhaught? Definitely back in action."

 

"No way. Waverly's over Nicole, she said it herself."

 

"Well, Waverly's a liar." She raised her eyebrows. "Look, I saw Nicole on Waverly's floor this morning. Now, Nicole shows up _just_ on time and Waverly shows up a couple minutes later? Piece it together, girl."

 

Wynonna stood there for a moment, staring at Chrissy like she was speaking another language. "Okay."

 

"Okay?"

 

"I don't know! What do you want me to say? We can't go around investigating my sister's relationship, that's just weird. If something was going on, don't you think they'd tell us?"

 

Chrissy agreed, reluctantly of course. They all got to work, returning back to the group and grabbing a few boxes to move into the apartment. Doc and Dolls helped move a few dressers up the small staircase that sat right in front of the door. It was more like a duplex of sort. Jeremy and Robins apartment was on the top floor separated by a staircase that was present right when you walked in the door. To the right was a hallway and down it were two more apartments. If the house was sold as a whole, it would definitely be too expensive for college kids.

 

They took about an hour moving things in and around and back down, deciding not to keep a few things they had brought. Chrissy pulled Wynonna away again while everyone was taking a break in the kitchen, drinking water and joking around.

 

"I've come up with a plan."

 

"Here we go." Wynonna mumbled.

 

"They don't know that we know, right? So, we can make it fun. Let's fuck with them until they _have_ to tell us."

 

Wynonna's face was blank for a minute until it broke out into a wide smile, eyes bright with excitement. "You know I love pranks."

 

\------

 

Nicole walked around Waverly's dorm slowly, picking up random stuff and looking at it. Her eyes glanced over a few photos she's never seen before. There was a picture of Wynonna, Rosita and Waverly sitting on a bench. Wynonna had her arms around the both of them, all smiles and laughter captured in the photo.

 

"This is cute, why haven't I seen this before?"

 

Waverly looked up from her homework. "You're supposed to be studying."

 

"I am studying, just not chemistry."

 

Waverly stood up. "Nicole," she warned, walking across the room.

 

Nicole wrapped her arm around Waverly's shoulder as her hand slid around Nicole's waist, grabbing the photo off the shelf and looking at it.

 

"We were shopping one day and we stopped to get ice cream. Wynonna was obsessed with the idea of making a picture album this year but she got a few photos in and never made it."

 

"This was after we broke up?"

 

Waverly nodded. "Yeah, maybe a few weeks."

 

Nicole nodded, smiling at the picture. She was glad Waverly had people to fall back on when she couldn't be around. It was hard to imagine what it was like for Waverly when they broke up.

 

"Can we study now?" Waverly laid her head on Nicole's shoulder.

 

She turned her head, capturing Waverly's lips in a small, chaste kiss. "Maybe."

 

" _Yes._ " Waverly corrected. "The whole point of you coming over was to study. We _are_ studying."

 

"Fine." Nicole gave in.

 

They did study. For maybe five minutes, then Nicole closed the book and started throwing torn up pieces of notebook paper at Waverly. Eventually, the brunette gave up on the idea of actually getting work done. She couldn't be mad, not at all. Nicole knew that and she knew that. She gave in and started throwing things back. Starting with the same pieces that were being thrown at her, then she grabbed an empty water bottle off of her night stand and tossed it toward Nicole, hitting her square in the shoulder.

 

"Not fair, I'm using paper."

 

"All is fair in love and war."

 

Nicole jumped across the bed, pinning her arms above her head before tickling her. Waverly screamed and giggled, trying to free herself by kicking her legs.

 

"Okay! Okay." She laughed out.

 

"Did you say _love_ and war?" Nicole raised her eyebrows jokingly.

 

Waverly rolled her eyes playfully. "It _is_ the quote, Nicole."

 

"Uh huh." Nicole got off of Waverly, grabbing her jacket. "We have to be at Shorty's in fifteen minutes or Wynonna might literally kill us."

 

"It's a twenty minute drive."

 

"Not with my car."

 

And Nicole was right. They made it to Shorty's just on time, walking through the door right as Dolls texted Nicole asking where she was. Waverly gave Chrissy a questioning look as she elbowed Wynonna in the side, mumbling something incoherent to the rest of the group.

 

They sat and talked for a bit, ordering a few drinks after they ate. It was still early into the evening so the bar was mostly vacant except for a few people spread out across the room.

 

Chrissy got up from her spot next to Wynonna, sliding in the booth beside Waverly and pulling out her phone. "I have a date for you."

 

Waverly quirked an eyebrow, her stomach sinking. "A date?" Her eyes found Nicole's questioning expression before it turned neutral.

 

"Yes. She's _super_ nice and she's smart, she loves old movies — just like you — she's people friendly and she works at this cute little coffee shop near campus so you guys can have coffee dates and -"

 

"You're literally setting up an entire relationship between me and this girl in your head, aren't you?"

 

Chrissy smiled. "Do you want to see a picture?"

 

"I'll pass," Waverly said apologetically. "I'm not really in the mood to date right now."

 

"Really?" Chrissy shot Wynonna a _help me_ look.

 

"I think you should at least just go on the date." Wynonna butt in. "If you don't like her, it's not like you have to continue seeing her."

 

Nicole cleared her throat, taking a drink from her bottle. "I think you should, too."

 

Waverly rolled her eyes. "Oh, really?"

 

"Yeah." She nodded. "You know, moving on and what not."

 

Wynonna and Chrissy smirked knowingly. "See, if your ex girlfriend thinks you should then who's stopping you?" Wynonna said cheerfully.

 

"Nicole, can I speak to you alone for a second?" Waverly stood up before getting an answer, the redhead following closely behind.

 

They made their way across the bar, out of earshot from the rest of their friends. Waverly leaned against the bar, making sure no one was behind it that could listen in.

 

"What are you doing?"

 

Nicole rolled her eyes, smirking. "They obviously know."

 

Waverly looked back over at the group. She watched wearily as Wynonna and Chrissy whispered back and forth, smiling. Doc, Dolls, Rosita and Jeremy were all engaging in a quiet conversation. Robin had a late class so he wasn't there yet, she was glad Jeremy seemed to be comfortable with everyone else.

 

"How do you figure?"

 

"Wynonna and Chrissy have been whispering all night. Chrissy saw me on your floor that morning I left, they're trying to set you up on a date? It's pretty obvious."

 

Waverly huffed. "So, we do what?"

 

"Mess with them back." Nicole smirked. "You go on the date, say you really like this girl and you want to continue seeing her. They'll be super confused and eventually they'll crack."

 

"And if they don't?" She raised an eyebrow.

 

"I haven't thought that far ahead."

 

The next day, Waverly found herself sitting down at a table with a random girl she didn't know. The dark haired woman was gorgeous and if Waverly was actually on the market, this date wouldn't be such a bad idea.

 

"I'm Gretta." She introduced herself.

 

"Waverly."

 

The conversation flowed easily and freely. They laughed and shared stories. The woman was interesting by Waverly's standards. It was hard to meet a new person and easily have a conversation without needing to change the subject every five minutes in hopes the other wouldn't get bored. Gretta informed her that she was currently studying online to become a nurse and get her RN.

 

"Why online? Why not Calgary?" Waverly was intrigued.

 

The girl smiled. "I don't have the money and I couldn't get a scholarship when I applied. It's easier to just work and then do the classes online."

 

Waverly smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

 

"You're fine, I promise." She grinned. "So, you wanna tell me who you've been texting this entire time or is that too personal?"

 

At first, she was taken aback but then she sighed, relieved a bit. "It's a long story, really."

 

"I've got time."

 

"Well," Waverly started. "I was dating this girl and we ended things a few months ago. Then, things kind of started back up but my friends don't know. So, Chrissy set me up on a date with you. Sorry."

 

"You don't have to apologize for that." She laughed. "I kind of figured Chrissy had some sort of plan going on."

 

"Yeah, she's a real game player." Waverly laughed along. "Nicole — my gir- my ex — she's almost positive that Chrissy and my sister know we're whatever," She waved her hands in the air. "So she thinks it's a good idea to mess with them back."

 

Gretta snorted. "Let me know how it goes, please."

 

"Oh, I will."

 

The rest of the 'date' went smoothly. They talked a little more before exchanging numbers, promising to keep in touch. It was an added friendship and Waverly was grateful they got at least something out of it. She was glad Gretta didn't seem to be upset about the whole ordeal. It was unfair to bring her into something she wasn't a part of but after laughing about it for a bit, Waverly didn't sense any tension towards the situation.

 

Chrissy jumped up and down with glee when Waverly told her about the date. She went along with Nicole's plan and said she wanted to see Gretta again. It wasn't technically a lie considering they're friends now, so she probably would see her around sometime.

 

Waverly laughed at Nicole's jealous look while she told her about the night.

 

"Relax. I only have eyes for you." She ran her finger across the crinkle between Nicole's eyebrows, kissing her softly and chaste.

 

Nicole grabbed her waist, pulling her closer. "You better."

 

Waverly smirked. "Uh huh."

 

Her fingers trailed to the buttons of Nicole's shirt, popping one open before leaning in and kissing her slowly. Nicole gave in, sitting down on the bed as Waverly moved between her legs. She draped her arms loosely around Nicole's shoulders, playing with the hair's at the back of her neck.

 

"Is the door locked." Nicole broke the kiss, pulling back a few inches.

 

Waverly glanced at the door, squinting a bit to see the lock that was turned and clicked into place. She nodded her head, bringing her lips back to Nicole's.

 

Nicole slid her hands down Waverly's legs, tugging gently at the back of her thighs, pulling her into her lap. Her fingers made their way up the brunettes body, sliding slowing under her shirt and across her ribs.

 

Waverly broke the kissing, moving down to Nicole's neck, the redhead tilting her head for more access. She trailed open mouth kisses down to Nicole collarbone, nipping and sucking gently, soothing the marks with her tongue. Nicole's nails scratched lightly at Waverly's back, tightening her grip when Waverly bit down in a spot she knew would get a reaction out of her.

 

She undid the rest of the buttons. Sliding the shirt off of Nicole's shoulders, lightly trailing her fingers down her arms. They broke the kiss as Nicole pulled Waverly's shirt up and over her head. Connecting their lips again, Waverly's hands reached the clasp of Nicole's bra, undoing it and sliding the straps down her arms the same way as the shirt.

 

They both stood up, discarding their pants one at a time. Nicole grabbed Waverly's hands, interlacing their fingers and pulling her towards her.

 

"Are you sure?" She whispered. It didn't matter how many times they'd had sex in the past, how many times Waverly said yes. She always made a habit to ask.

 

Waverly nodded her head and smiled. "Yes, Nicole."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, let me know what you think.
> 
> come talk to me on twitter @wlwearp


	26. XXV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I really didn't know how to end this but there might be a book two because I have plans for the future. I'm still unsure though so don't hold me to it.
> 
> Shout-out to Jess because she told me to upload sjsjd

The last week of class was always fun for Wynonna. Most of the time she would usually skip a few classes that she knew she didn't _have_ to go to, knowing she wouldn't miss anything. Even in highschool — the last week of school in any grade usually consisted of half of the students not showing up, convinced they didn't need to since they'd only be there a few hours anyway.

 

This time, though. She went. She went because she had a soft spot for Rosita and anything the girl asked her to do, she would jump at the chance. She said she'd go but, she never said she'd pay attention. Most of her lectures were spent daydreaming while the professors talked about grading and summer homework that would prepare them for their next classes, assuming they were moving on from where they were now. Wynonna didn't worry, though. She's been on the top of her game recently. She smiled dreamily as she thought about her girlfriend _._

 

Yes, _girlfriend._

 

Rosita had to practically drag Wynonna out of their dorm room on a Saturday night. Rambling on about how just because she didn't want to spend time with anyone else, didn't mean that she should stay couped up in the small room.

 

Thirty minutes later, they found themselves sitting on a park bench eating taco's from a food truck on the street.

 

"Isn't this illegal? Being in the park after dark."

 

Rosita snorted. "Since when have you ever cared about the law?"

 

Wynonna smirked, kissing her on the cheek before going back to eating her food. They spent all night together, roaming around the city — on and off campus. Rosita grinned widely when Wynonna yelled excitedly about a motorcycle sitting along the side of the street. Admiring it with her eyes, never touching it. A man walked out of the bar behind them, laughing a bit when he asked if she wanted to ride it.

 

Much to her dismay, she declined. Not without making Rosita take a picture of her sitting on top of the bike, smiling — all teeth and bright eyes.

 

They walked down the street, fingers interlocked and laughing about any and everything. Wynonna loved moments like these — moments when she felt completely free, comfortable and wanted. Anything she said or felt was met with validity. She could say the dumbest thing she could think of and Rosita would still find a way to make her think it wasn't dumb at all.

 

"So, I have a very important question." Rosita said over her to go cup of coffee.

 

"I might have a very important answer."

 

The darker haired woman smiled shyly, worry and fear in her eyes that Wynonna didn't miss. She leaned over and kissed her. It was short but it was filled with every positive emotion she felt towards the girl.

 

"I know it's a _really_ basic way to ask and I tried to think of some super cute gesture like flowers or something but then, I realized you _hate_ flowers-" She stopped herself, catching her rambling. "What I'm trying to say is, will you maybe be my girlfriend?"

 

Wynonna's lips formed a small smile. "Yes."

 

Rosita grinned, wiping her sweaty hands on her pants.

 

"I don't know why you were so scared to ask that." Wynonna joked.

 

Wynonna's daydream was interrupted by the class being dismissed, everyone getting up from their seats and exiting the room. She pulled her phone out her pocket when she felt it vibrate, while slinging her bag over her shoulder and looking at the messages.

 

Nicole (1:26pm): we're throwing a surprise party for Doc

 

Dolls (1:28pm): Yes!

 

Wynonna (1:32pm): i came up with the idea of throwing him a graduation party before anyone else, please remember that.

 

Waverly (1:34pm): don't be bitter, just buy the alcohol

 

The following Friday morning was spent planning. Waverly and Chrissy ran around buying decorations and a few items of food that they knew Gus didn't have at the bar. Wynonna, Nicole and Rosita moved around a few tables, ignoring Gus' complaints about ruining the set of the bar. Dolls and Jeremy distracted Doc while Robin texted the group, excluding Doc, updates on where they were and what they were doing.

 

The graduation ceremony wasn't until eleven but Waverly panicked when the clock hit nine and half the decorations were spread out across the tables, not on the walls or where they needed to be.

 

Nicole laughed, watching as she pushed people out of the bar coming in to get a drink. Mumbling something about how it was still morning and they shouldn't be drinking anyway.

 

The redhead crossed the bar, looking around to make sure everyone was preoccupied enough not to notice her pull Waverly out of the doors.

 

She leaned in and connected their lips softly before pulling away. "Take a chill pill, you're freaking out about nothing."

 

"We're barely halfway done and it's almost time for the ceremony."

 

Nicole rolled her eyes playfully. "It'll get done in time, okay? We still have at least an hour and a half before we have to leave and be at the school. Just calm down." She pushed a few loose hair's behind Waverly's ear.

 

The brunette smiled. "Thank you."

 

Despite what Waverly thought at the moment, they _would_ get everything done in time.

 

Everyone took their seats in the auditorium. They all sat side by side, smiling brightly and talking to pass the short amount of time before they started calling names.

 

They went by last names, so everyone had to sit through what felt like an hour to Wynonna before Doc got called.

 

" _John Henry Holliday."_

 

Everyone stood up while screaming and cheering as he walked onto the stage, averting his eyes from his overexcited friends. He took the degree gently, shaking the woman's hand and smiling as he pushed the tassel hanging from his cap to the otherside. Thanking her before walking towards the rest of his class and joining the group.

 

They went through the rest of the names slowly, congratulating the group of students after giving a long speech about hard work and boring stuff that Wynonna and everyone but Waverly could care less about.

 

Before they knew it, everyone was exiting the building and gathering into whoever's car they came in. Waverly made sure everyone got to Shorty's before Dolls brought Doc through the doors.

 

Everyone jumped up from their hiding places cheering and yelling congratulations. The smiled plastered across Doc's face was more than worth it to Wynonna.

 

She hugged him tightly. "Congrats on being smart, dude."

 

He smiled. "Thank you, Wynonna."

 

Everyone took turns giving hugs and personally congratulating him. Nicole walked towards him with a beer and two shots.

 

"Please take one of these before I drop them both." She extended the hand that the shots were in.

 

He laughed and grabbed one, accepting the beer she offered him. Everyone gathered around in a small circle, taking a shot together and erupting into laughter when Jeremy practically spit the small amount of whiskey out. Grimacing and mumbling something about hating the taste.

 

Eventually, other people made their way into the bar. Wynonna made sure to invite everyone she could possibly think of that was graduating or close to Doc.

 

The day was spent leisurely drinking until the sun went down, then — convinced by Wynonna — Gus set up shots along the bar.

 

Waverly and Chrissy laughed and giggled about nothing, the alcohol going to their heads.

 

"You have to promise that you won't let me get too drunk." Chrissy slurred.

 

Waverly laughed. "I think you're already too drunk."

 

Nicole slid up next to them, ordering a beer from Gus and thanking her as she set it on the counter. Chrissy grinned widely. "Nicole!"

 

Waverly turned around slightly, grabbing onto the bar to make sure she didn't fall from the stool. If it was any other night, Nicole would be right next to her making sure she wasn't passing her limit and falling onto the floor. But she couldn't because then people would _definitely_ know something was going on between them again.

 

"Hi." Waverly slightly slurred.

 

Nicole laughed. "Hey." She smiled. "How much have you guys drank?" Her attention switched back and forth between the two girls.

 

"Not enough." Chrissy laughed. "Waverly needs more shots." She turned to Gus, mumbling something incoherent.

 

Waverly nodded eagerly. "Yes!"

 

"No." Nicole shook her head as she laughed again.

 

Waverly stuck her bottom lip out, pouting and sporting those soft puppy dog eyes that _always_ had Nicole's heart melting.

 

Nicole shook her head. "Please don't hurt yourselves and find me if you need anything."

 

The brunette grabbed her hand, stopping her from walking away. "Please, stay. We can drink _together_ _._ " She slurred.

 

"I really don't think you _need_ to drink anymore than you already have." She laughed. "And I would, but I promised Doc I'd buy him a beer." She held up the bottle in her hand.

 

Waverly huffed. "Promise to buy me a drink, too."

 

"Maybe later." Nicole smiled sweetly at the shorter girl before returning to her friends.

 

Chrissy leaned her head in her hand, smiling knowingly at Waverly. "What's going on between you two?"

 

"I'm pretty sure you and Wynonna already know."

 

"That you're secretly together? Yeah, but that's not what I meant."

 

Waverly sighed. "Are you gonna remember any of this in the morning?"

 

Chrissy shrugged. "Probably not, but I can try my best."

 

"Before spring break she told me she loves me and I didn't say it back." Chrissy's eyes went big. "But-" She stopped the blonde from talking. "I _do_ love her, I just- I don't know. I was scared because of everything that was happening at the time. We didn't talk for a while and then we did, kind of. Not about us though."

 

"So, are you guys together now?"

 

Waverly shook her head. "No, not technically. We hangout and do everything that we used to do when we _were_ together but like I said, we never actually talked about us."

 

"Is she seeing anyone else?"

 

"No."

 

"Are you?"

 

"No."

 

"So, you're together." She stated bluntly.

 

Waverly laughed. "If only it was that simple."

 

Chrissy took a drink from the glass in front of her, grimacing when the sting of Vodka hit the back of her throat.

 

"But it is." She started. "If you guys love each other, why not be together? Why not tell her that you love her, you know she loves you back. You guys keep running from each other for no reason. You've come so far, she's come so far. She told you she _loves_ you, dude. Do you know how big that is. Stop dancing around each other like you're on broken glass and just be _happy._ "

 

Chrissy always gave good advice. It didn't matter what the advice was for or if you even needed advice, she was always there with some kind of opinion and long speech about whatever. So, most of the time, her advice stuck with Waverly.

 

It did this time, too. Waverly thought about it for _days._ Her brain put made up scenarios into her head, thinking of everything that could go wrong but also, right. Generally, Waverly was a pretty optimistic person. But when it came to her own emotions and how she was feeling, especially what she should do about said emotions, she tends to think more about the negatives than anything else.

 

She grabbed the glass mug filled with tea off of the table, making her way out of the house and onto the front porch. It was almost a routine by now. She'd wake up, do her morning work out followed by a shower and then made tea, occupying the porch swing in front of the homestead with a book. On mornings it was chilly, she'd bring out an old throw blanket and wrap up in it.

 

Wynonna and Rosita pulled down the dirt road to the homestead, parking next to Waverly's jeep. Waverly watched as they hopped out of Wynonna's old truck, a hand-me-down from Gus.

 

"What are you doing here so early?" She asked as they walked onto the porch hand in hand.

 

"Saying bye to Gus?" Wynonna tilted her head to the side.

 

"So, you just forgot about me, huh?" Waverly joked. She stood up from the porch swing and hugged her sister before hugging Rosita.

 

"Is she here?"

 

"No, she went out. She should be back in a few minutes, though."

 

They all went into the house, making food and joking around in the kitchen. Rosita shrieked when Wynonna threw a handful of cereal towards her.

 

"Gus is gonna kill you." She laughed out.

 

"Not if you clean it up."

 

Rosita shook her head. "Not my mess. Waverly, back me up."

 

Waverly grabbed a piece of cereal off the counter, throwing it in Rosita's direction. "No way, this is all you guys."

 

Wynonna's phone rang causing her to smile widely. "It's your problem now." She yelled, answering her phone while walking into the other room.

 

"Hey, Dolls. What's up?"

 

She heard noises on the other end of the phone before Dolls started talking. "Somehow I got conned into driving Jeremy and Robin to the homestead with me. Nicole and Chrissy are on their way, Doc wanted me to tell you bye and have a good vacation."

 

"Wait, everyone's coming here?"

 

"It's a going away party, Earp. Get with the program."

 

"We'll literally be gone two weeks."

 

"Take it up with Chrissy."

 

The line went dead right as Nicole's car pulled into the driveway and Chrissy was jumping out. Waverly made her way into the living room giving Wynonna a questioning look. Rosita following behind.

 

"Apparently, there's a going away party?"

 

Gus came home to a house full of people. A surprise, since she only left Waverly there this morning.

 

Everyone was crowded into the small dining room comfortably, laughing as Gus made a joke about adopting them since they were here all the time anyway.

 

Wynonna couldn't be more happy. Her and Rosita had planned a vacation to New York for two weeks before classes ended. It had been a hypothetical plan at first until it turned serious and they were booking tickets and hotel rooms, finding passports and packing suitcases.

 

Gus gave Waverly a questioning look, furrowing her eyebrows. She could practically see Waverly's brain running a hundred miles per minute.

 

"What's happening here?" She asked lowly.

 

Waverly was snapped out of her trance. She was helping Gus put groceries away in the kitchen but her mind was subconsciously somewhere else.

 

She poked her head through the door separating the kitchen and dining room, making sure no one could hear them.

 

"I love Nicole."

 

Gus raised her eyebrows. "Okay." No surprise in her tone.

 

"Okay? That's it?"

 

"You want advice?"

 

Waverly nodded. "Kinda, yeah."

 

Gus sighed. "You and Nicole have been playing this little game for months now. I think you both deserve to be happy together without any doubt that the other one is all in. I also think you should talk to her. I mean, actually talk. Not barely talk and then fall right back into the same pattern you were in before."

 

"We've kinda been seeing each other."

 

It didn't take the woman but a second to catch on to what Waverly was trying to say. "So, what's the problem?"

 

"I'm scared." Waverly sighed. "It's always like, one minute we're happy and then the next minute something goes wrong. I'm tired of things going wrong and everything is good right now."

 

"You two obviously want to be together. If you don't tell her, I will."

 

\--------

 

Nicole watched as Dolls attempted to braid Wynonna's hair. _You need a new_ _hair-do_ _for_ _New York._ Was his excuse. Even though he was failing miserably and the look plastered across Wynonna's face was everything but excited, she let him continue.

 

"Can I see you outside, please?" Waverly walked into the dining room, a serious look on her face.

 

"Uh oh. Someone's in trouble." Rosita joked.

 

Nicole shook her head laughing before getting up and following Waverly out of the door. For her height, Waverly sure did move fast. Nicole basically had to run to catch up with her, grabbing her hand and stopping her near Nicole's car.

 

"Slow down, speedy."

 

"I have to tell you something." Waverly blurted out, her words jumbling together. "And you can't speak until I'm done talking, no matter what I say."

 

Nicole nodded, urging her to continue. Her stomach was in knots.

 

_Nice. You guys are_ _over._ She thought.

 

Waverly took a deep breath, puffing her cheeks before letting the air out. "I've never been really sure about a lot of things in my life. I've always questioned myself, it didn't matter what it was. Even if I knew I was right or I could do it, there was always a question of What If. What if everything goes south, or what if I mess everything up by making one stupid decision." She paused. "But- but one thing I _am_ sure of is that, I love you, Nicole. I love you _so_ much, I don't think I've ever felt anything like this — I want to be with you and only you. I don't want to break up or sneak around behind our friends backs because I'm scared of getting hurt-"

 

"You're sca-"

 

Waverly stopped her. "What did I say?"

 

"Right, sorry."

 

"I want you to be my girlfriend. I don't want there to be secrets and petty arguments over nothing. I want us to talk things out and I want to know what you're thinking and what you're feeling. Because I _love_ you and I value your opinion and your feelings and your thoughts. I value you, you're important to me."

 

Nicole waited a minute before speaking. "Are you done?" She smiled when Waverly nodded. "I love you, too and I want to be with you just as much as you want to be with me."

 

That didn't ease the fear that Waverly felt, Nicole could tell.

 

"I promise I'll talk to you about my feelings as long as you promise to talk to me about yours. No more running and being scared of the inevitable. I'm all in, Waverly. I'm not going anywhere if you aren't."

 

Waverly smiled. "I love you."

 

"I love you, too, Waves."

 


End file.
